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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Shelf. ..NAl.S^lo 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



ELEMENTARY 



LESSONS IN ENGLISH 

FOR 

HOME AKD SCHOOL USE. 

- 

By WP"Di>*WHITNEY, 

OF YALE COLLEGE, 

AND 

MRS. N. L. KNOX. Iji^o^vC 
» 



BOSTON: 



GINN AND HEATH. 

1880. 






Copyright, 1879, 
Br Ginn ant> Heath. 



University Press: 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAET I. 

CHAPTER I. — Names, and liow to write them. 

Page 

Lesson I. Names of Persons, Places, and Things .... 1 

II. How to write Names made up of Two or more Words . 3 

III. How to write Initials used instead of Names ... 5 

Review (Oral and Written) . 7 

How to pronounce the Word A. (Exercise 4.) . . . .8 

CHATTER II. — The Statement. 

Lesson I. What the Statement is 10 

II. About Writing the Statement ..... 12 

III. The Word / . . . 14 

IV. About Margins and Marks ...... 16 

V. Is and Are ; Was and Were ; Has and Have . . .18 

CHAPTER III. — The Two Parts of a Statement. 

Lesson I. Every Statement made up of Two Parts ;— what each Part 

shows . . .23 

II.- What Words are used Instead of Names for the First Part 

of a Statement 24 

Review and Summary 27 

CHAPTER IV. — More to Learn about Names. 

Lesson I. Names of Materials . ... . . . . .29 

IT. Names of Parts ..../.... 30 

III. Proper Names and Common Names 33 

A Review Lesson (Story) .- 37 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. — More to Learn about Statements. 

Lesson I. The Comma and And 40 

II. The Eesidence or Address 42 

CHAPTER VI. — A, An, and The. 

Lesson I. "When to use A and when to use An 47 

II. How to Pronounce The 50 

CHAPTER Til. — More to learn about Names. 

Lesson I. Names of One and of More than One ; — when s is added . 52 

II. When es is added to a Name 53 

III. When / should be changed to v, and es added ; — also 

about such Names as mouse, ox, deer, and scissors . 54 

IV. Vowels and Consonants 56 

When y is changed to i, and es added . . . . 57 

V. A or An, and The ; This and These; That and Those . 59 

Questions for Review (Oral and Written) 62 

Summary (Tabular View) 66 

CHAPTER VIII. — The Inquiry. 

Lesson I. What an Inquiry is, and how it is written . . .67 

II. One Use of the Comma in an Inquiry . . . .69 

CHAPTER IX. — More to learn about Names. 

Lesson I. How to write a Name that means but One, and denotes 

Possession 73 

II. How to write Names that Mean more than One, and denote 

Possession 74 

III. Words used Instead of Names to denote Possession . 77 

CHAPTER X. — Words that express Qualities. 

Lesson I. What Words are Quality- Words 79 

II. The Use of the Comma between Quality -Words . . 82 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. V 

Lesson III. When to add er and when to prefix more to a Quality-Word 86 

IV. When to add est and when to prefix most to a Quality-Word 89 

V. About the Spelling of Quality- Words when er or est is added 92 



CHAPTER XI. — TJie Command. 

Lesson I. What the Command is, and how it should be written . 95 

II. One Use of the Comma in a Command .... 96 



CHAPTER XII. — Words tJtat express Action. 

Lesson I. What an Action-Word is » .99 

II. How an Action- Word may be used .... 100 

III. About adding s or es to Action- Words . . . 103 

Questions for Review (Oral and Written) . . . . . 107 



CHAPTER XIII. — Words that show How, When, or Where. 

Lesson I. Words that show Row an Action is performed . . . 110 

II. Another Use of the Comma 112 

III. Words that show When or Where an Action is performed . 113 



CHAPTER XIV.— -Emotion-Words and the Exclamation. 

Lesson I. Emotion- Words and the Exclamation- Point . . . 116 
II. The Exclamation, and how it should be written . • . . 117 



CHAPTER XV. — More to learn about Words. 

Lesson I. Compound Words and the Hyphen .... 120 
II. Words which show Position or Relation . . . .122 

III. How to use correctly such Words as nephew, niece ; Sir, 

Madam ; host, hostess . . . . . .124 

IV. About the correct Use of certain Action-Words . . .125 

Review and Test Exercises 131 

Summary (continued from page 66) 134 



VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XVI, — letter Writing. 

Lesson I. The Parts of a Letter . 137 

II. About Paragraphs and Margins 143 

A. The Heading of a Letter. 

Lesson I. The Items of the Heading 144 

II. The Capitals and Punctuation of the Heading . . 147 
III. The Position of the Heading . . . . . . 151 

B. The Address of a Letter. 

Lesson I. The Items of the Address 154 

II. The Capitals and Punctuation of the Address . . 157 
JII. The Position of the Address 160 

C. The Body of the Letter. 

Lesson I. The Salutation. — Forms of Greeting .... 163 
II. The Capitals and Punctuation of the Greeting . . 165 

III. The Position of the Salutation 167 

IV. More about the Body of the Letter .... 169 

D. The Subscription. 
Lesson I. Items of the Subscription. — Forms of Subscription .. . 172 
II. The Capitals and Punctuation of the Subscription . . 176 

E. The Superscription. 
Lesson I. Items of the Superscription. — Forms of Superscription . 178 
II. The Position of the Superscription 181 



APPENDIX TO PART I. 

Abbreviations 184 

A Key to the Dictionary 187 

Words to Spell and use Correctly ...... 190 



PART FIEST. 



HOW TO SPEAK AND WRITE COEEECTLY. 



CHAPTEK I. 
NAMES, AND HOW TO WRITE THEM. 



LESSON I. 

Preceded by oral lessons indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Tell me the names of three persons ; as, Frank, Mary. 

2. Tell me the names of three places ; as, New York, America. 

3. Tell me the names of four things in the school-room ; as, 

table, inkstand. 

4. Tell me the names of two things seen at home ; as, bed, 

plate. 

5. Mention the names of two things seen in the sky ; as, sun. 

6. Mention the names of two animals. 

7. Speak the names of two plants. 

8. Tell me the names of two things which you would like to 

have. 

'Some words are the names of persons. 
Some words are the names of places. 
Some words are the names of things,* 

* Paragraphs printed in this type throughout the book are designed to sum Tip, 
and preserve for review, salient points of the preceding oral lesson. Pupils who 
were absent when the oral lesson was given may be required to state the substance 
of these paragraphs ; for others, it will be sufficient to have them read aloud 
in the class. 



2 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

9. Eead these words : — 



Susan 


slate 


London 


Detroit 


star 


baU 


window 


pencil 


icicle 


George 


blackboard 


dog 


house 


"sheep 


clock 


Edith 


Chicago 


sled 


Hartford 


Albert 



Development Questions. — (a.) How many of these words are names ? 
(b.) Tell of what each is the name, (c.) Copy the words that are the names 
of persons. Read them from your slate, (d.) Copy the words that are the 
names of places. Read them from your slate. 

(e.) What is the first letter of the word Susan ? What kind of a letter is it ? 

( /. ) Read the next word in the list that begins with a capital. Of what 
is this word the name ? 

(g. ) Read any other words in the list that are the names of persons or 
places, and look at the first letter of each word. 

I. The first letter of a word that is the name of a person should 
be a capital letter; as, Frank, Alice, Charles.* 

n. The first letter of a word that is the name of a place should 
be a capital letter ; as, Denver, Troy, Bangor. 

Home Task. 

1. Find in a book five words that are the names of persons ; 

look at the first letter of each word ; copy the names. 

2. Find in a book five words that are the names of places ; 

look at the first letter of each word ; copy the names. 

3. Learn I. and II. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Write your name. 

2. Write the name of the place in which you live. 

* Paragraphs noted by Roman numerals should be committed to memory. 



NAMES, AND HOW TO WRITE THEM. 3 

3. Write four words that are the names of things. 

4. Write the name of the State in which you live. 

5. Write the name of a place which you would like to see. 

6. Find a picture in your Keader, and write the names of 

three things seen in the picture. 

7. Copy two names of persons. 

Exercise 2. — {Dictation.) 



LESSON II. 

Preceded by dictation exercise and oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

Tell which of these are full names : — 

Tom, Maggie, 

Thomas Arnold. Margaret Fuller. 

Charlie, 

Charles Francis Adams. 

When asked your name, give your full name. 
Always speak and write your name so plainly that it 
cannot be misunderstood* 

1. The last name, or family name, is called the Surname; the name 

given to each child is called the given name or Christian 
Name: the Full Name is made np of both the Christian 
Name and the Surname, 

2. The Christian name may be one name, or two names, or more than 

two; as, Charles Dickens, John Quincy Adams, George 
Henry Allison Smith. 

* Paragraphs printed in this type are designed to preserve, for reference and 
study, matters that have been taught orally. While the pupil need not recite 
them verbatim, he should be able to state clearly, and to make a daily use or 
application of, what is taught in them. 



4 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

HI. Every name that is a part of the name of a person should 
begin with a capital letter; thus, George Alfred Flint, 
not, George alfred flint. 

IV. When the name of a place is made up of two words, the first 
letter of each word should be a capital ; as, New York, 
South Carolina, British America, Little Bock. 

Home Task. 

1. Learn to write your full name. 

2. Learn to write the name of your country. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Write your full name. 

2. Draw one line under your Christian name and two lines 

under your surname. 

3. Write the names of five objects that you saw on your way 

to schooL 

4. Write your teacher's surname. 

5. Write the name of the country in which you live. 

6. Copy I. and II. in Lesson I., and III. and IV. in Lesson II. 

A. Tliis = shows that the letter under ivhich it is drawn 

should have been a capital ; thus, richmond, Cincin- 
nati, margaret. 

B. When this / is drawn through a letter, and I. c. (lower 

case) is placed in the margin, it shoivs that the 
capital used shoidd have been a small letter ; thus, 
L c. The Jpook is on the fable. 

Exercise 2. — (Dictation.) 



NAMES, AND HOW TO WRITE THEM. 5 

LESSON III. 

INITIALS. 

Preceded by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Mention the first letter of each of these words : — 

boy window queen box George 

Hudson Charles island Mary fan 

2. What is the first letter of a word called ? 

The first letter of a word is called its initial, or initial letter. 

3. Give the initials of each of these full names : — 
James Monroe. John Jacob Astor. William Harvey. 

Sometimes the initials are used instead of the name of a person; as, 

H. H. for Helen Hunt.* 
Very often the surname is written and the initials only of the Christian 

name are used; as, D. 0, Eliot, M. Clark, 
Quite as often the surname and the first name are written, while the 

initial only of the middle name is used ; as, Lydia M. Child. 

V. When an initial letter is used instead of a name of a person, 
it should be a capital, and a period [.] should be placed 
after it; thus, John G. Saxe, J. G. Saxe, J. G. S.f 

"When the name of a place is made up of two words, the initials are 
sometimes used instead of the name ; as, U. Y. for New York ; E. I. 
for Ehode Island 

* See note, page 1. f See note, page 2. 



6 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

TI. When the initials of the name of a place are used instead of 
the name, they should be capital letters, and a period should 
be placed after each ; thus, U; S. for United States. 

4. Mention another use of the period. 

YII. When the name of a person is written alone, on a card or 
slate, in a book or on a sign, or at the close of a letter, it 
should be followed by a period ; as, Rufus Grant. 

Exercise 1. 

Write each of these names correctly : — 

John f. Ellis north america h. b. Hudson 

J e. Clark Trenton, X J T. E. brown 

charles Upton Albany, ny C E Wagner 

S^"* Oral and blackboard criticism. 

Note. — In reading from your slate, or in dictating what 
is to be written on the blackboard, when you come to a cap- 
ital or period, mention it; thus, "T. E. Brown, Capital T. 
(period), capital E. (period), capital B-r-o-w-n, Brown" 

Home Task. 

1. Write your full name. 

2. Write your initials. 

3. Write your surname, and use before it the initials of your 

Christian name. 

4. Write the initials of the name of your country. 

5. Write your name as you would write it on a card or in a 

book. 



NAMES, AND HOW TO WRITE THEM. 7 

Exercise 2. — {Review.) 

A. — Oral. 

1. Speak two words that are the names of objects. 

2. Name (a) an object that is round; (b) one that is 

heavy ; (c) one that is made of wood ; (d) one that can 
talk ; (e) one that can sing ; (/) one that can swim ; 
(g) one that grows, but cannot move from place to place. 

3. Read these words, and tell of what each is the name : — 

Saint Louis • tree Fanny 

4. Speak the name of, — 

a village, a city, a state, a country. 

5. How should a word that is the name of a person or place 

be written ? 

- 6. How should you always speak and write your own name ? 

7. Mention the full name of some person. What is the 

last or family name called ? The given name ? 

8. What is the first letter of a word called ? 

9. Tell two things about an initial letter that is used for 

the name of a person or place. 
10. Tell one thing about, — 

a bird, a picture of a bird, the word bird. 

B. — Written. 

1. Write a word that is a name, — 

of a place, of a person, of a thing. 

2. Write your full name. 



8 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. Write the names of the place, State, and country in 

which you live. 

4. Write the initials of your name. 

5. Copy these words, and use the marks that will show how 

they should have been written : — 

new York emma a Box and A cap 

Exercise 3. 

Pronounce, spell, write, and use correctly, — 

- 1. The names of things in the school-room. 

2. The names of five things seen at home. 

3. The names of things that you wear. 

4. The names of things seen on your way to school. 

5. The names of domestic animals. 

6. Five words that are the names of tools. 

7. The names of things in which people ride. 

8. The names of things good to eat. 

9. A name of, — 

a flower, a bird, a mineral, a tree, a vegetable, 
a fruit, a fish, an insect, a nut, a reptile. 

10. The names that you can find in Lesson III. of your 
Pieader. 

Exercise 4. 

1. Eead these words : — 

a all an the 

2. How should the word a be pronounced ? 



* 



NAMES, AND HOW TO WRITE THEM. 9 

When the word a is used alone, or when we speak of it, it is called 
a ; thus, I said a book, not her book. The word a means one. 

3. How many books are meant by a book ? 

When the word a (meaning one) is nsed before another word, it shonld 
be spoken as if it were a part of that word; thus, a cross, as 
across ; a part, as apart. 

4. Eead for practice : — 

arise along above apart among 

a ride a lawn a bud a park a month 

a rule a lark a book a plume a mine 

a race a lute a bird a pencil a mule 



along, 



a long journey ; 
across, a cross dog ; 
abroad, a broad street. 



aloud, a loud voice; 
around, a round piece ; 
afar, a far country ; 

5. Mention one thing that you have seen whose name begins 
with b, c, d, f, g, j, h, I, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, or w, and 
speak the word a before its name. 

Caution. — When you read, do not forget to pronounce a 
(used to mean one) as if it were the first syllable of 
the following word. 



10 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



CHAPTEE II. 
THE STATEMENT. 



LESSON I. 

WHAT THE STATEMENT IS. 

Preceded by oral lessons indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Name an object in the room, and say something about it ; 

as, The clock ticks. 

2. Tell me something about, — 

a mouse, leaves, a tree, a horse. 

To state means to say or to tell 

3. State something about, — 

the sky, your hat, the windows, an axe. 

Development Questions. — (a.) When we state anything, what do we 
use ? (b.) How many words do we use ? (c.) What may we call several 
words spoken or written together, or one after the other? 

We speak of several children playing together as a group of children, 
Islands near together in the sea are called a group of islands. 

Words spoken or written one after the other may be called a group of 
words. 

4. What is a statement ? 

I. A group of words that states something is a statement. 



THE STATEMENT. 11 

5. Make a statement about, — 

a bird, chalk, your pencil, water. 

Exercise 1. — {Oral) 

To make a statement, one must have something to talk 
about, and know something to say about it. 

Before you begin to speak, think just what you will say, 
and try to say it in the best way. 

Make a statement about, — 

the sun, an egg, apples, a cow, the blackboard, 
flowers, snow, grass, a city, a person. 

Exercise % 

A group of words that does not state anything is not a statement ; 
thus, "Were you ill ? squirrels running ; the girl in the field. 

Read these groups of words, and copy every group that is 
a statement : — 

1. The walls are made of stone. 

2. Beasts, birds, and fishes. 

3. Washington is the capital of the United States. 

4. Large books in the window. 

5. Did you come late ? 

6. Alice has a slate. 

7. A word that is a name. 

8. My sled is painted green. 

9. Roses grow in the garden. 
10. Are always happy. 

Draw a line under the words in the statements that are 
names. Tell of what each is the name. 



12 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

LESSON II. 
ABOUT WEITING A STATEMENT. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Development Questions. — 1. Take your Reader : find two short state* 
nients on one page. 

2. Look at the mark of punctuation at the close of each statement. 
Look at the first letter of each statement. 

3. With what kind of a letter does each statement begin ? "What mark 
is placed after each statement ? 

4. How should a statement be written ? 

II. The first letter of a statement should be a capital. A period 
should be placed at the close of a statement. 



Exercise 1. 

1. Copy two short statements from your Header. 

2. Write a statement about a person. 

3. Write a statement about a place. 

4. Write a statement about a thing. 

5. Write the initials of these names: George Washington, 

Mary Ann Leonard, ISTew Mexico, New Brunswick. 

Look over your work and be sure,— 

(a) That each group of words is a statement, 

(b) That you have used a capital wherever one was needed, 

(c) That you have placed a period wherever one should have been used, 

(d) That no words are misspelled, 

(e) That you have not used a capital or period where none was needed. 



$W Slates exchanged. 



the statement. 13 

Exercise 2. 

TMs is called a dash. A dash is sometimes used to show that 

words are left out. The is read "blank." 

1. Kead and copy this exercise, using a name of a person or 
place wherever there is a : — 

(a) is a large city. 

(b) is the queen of . 



(c) Our country is called the 

(d) sits near me in school. 

(e) is the capital of 



2. Eead from your slate a group of words that is a statement. 

3. Copy I. and II., Chapter II. 

4. Eead from your slate a word that begins with a capital, 

and tell why the capital was used. 

5. Write your name, as plainly as you can. 

A name is written plainly when every letter in it would be 
known if looked at by itself. 

Exercise 3. — {Oral.) 

Always choose words for your statements that are pleasant 
to hear and will tell just what you mean. Speak every 
word distinctly and correctly. 

Make a statement about a 

flower, mineral, tree, vegetable, person, 

fruit, fish, insect, nut, place. 

Exercise 4. — {Blackboard.) 

See Teacher's Edition. 



14 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 5. 

1. Write five statements. 

2. Draw one line under the words in each statement that 

show about what the statement is made. 

3. Draw two lines under the words which show what is 

stated in each statement. 

Example : A little bluebird sat in the tree. 



LESSON III. 
THE WORD I. 

DeYelopment Questions. — 1. Make a statement about yourself. 

2. What word shows that you are stating something about yourself? 
Write that word on the blackboard. 

3. Use your name in the statement instead of the word I. Do we use 
our names in speaking of ourselves ? 

4. What word would you use, instead of your name, to show that a state- 
ment is made about yourself ? 

m. The word I, used instead of the name of a person, should be a 
capital letter. 

Exercise 1. 

Use the word I instead of your name, and tell, in five 
short statements, — 

(a) One thing that you saw this morning, 

(b) One thing that you did Saturday, 

(c) One thing that you like, 



THE STATEMENT. 15 

(d) One thing that you see every day, 

(e) Where you went yesterday. 

Write the five statements. 

Caution. — In making a statement about yourself and 
some one else, mention yourself last; thus, Frank 
and I will go, — not, / and Frank will go. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Write a statement about, — 

(a) Yourself and a playmate, 

(&) Something in your desk, 

(e) A place that you have seen, 

(d) A person of whom you have read, 

(e) Something found in the sea. 

2. In each statement, draw a line under the words which 

show about what the statement is made. 

3. Draw two lines under the words which show what is 

stated in each statement. 

4 Make a list of the words that are names in your state- 
ments. 

5. Write the word used instead of your name. 

Exercise 3. — (Oral.) 

A PICTURE LESSON. 
For plan of conducting, see Teacher's Edition. 

Exercise 4. 

1. Write the names of the things seen in the picture about 

which you had a lesson. 

2. Write five statements about things seen in the picture. 



16 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. In each statement, draw one line under the words which 

show about what the statement is made. 

4. Draw two lines under the words which show what is 

stated in each statement. 

5. Write your name and the names of the place and State in 

which you live. 

6. See, — 

(a) That every statement begins with a capital and ends with a period, 

(b) That every word is spelled correctly, 

(c) That no capital or period has been used where none was needed. 

W~ Slates Exchanged. 



LESSON IV. 

ABOUT MARGINS AND MARKS.* 
Preceded by oral instruction and practice. 

What is a margin ? 

The space left on any side of what is printed or written on a page is 
called a margin. 

1. When you write an exercise, leave a margin on each side 

as straight and wide as the margins in your book. 

2. WJien you have an exercise to correct, if a mistake be 

found in the first half of a line, place the correction 
in the left margin. If a mistake be found in the 
latter half of a line, the correction should be placed in 
the right margin. 

Eead A and B, page 4. 

* For study and reference. See notes, pages 1 and 3. 



THE STATEMENT. 17 

C. This a is called a ca-ret. The caret is 
used to show that a letter, or word, or mark, 
has been omitted; thus, 

I ./ Thopson ; H B. Finch ; a very boy. tall/ 

A A A 

Pronounce, spell, write, and use correctly, — 
caret, carrot, carats. 

D. This J drawn through a letter shoivs that 

oj it is wrong ; thus, wagpi ; anftd ; America, n/ cj 

E. The ivord dele [de-le] means strike out 
or erase. When a letter, or word, or mark, that 
is not needed, has been used, draw a line through 
it and write in the margin the letter 8 (the ini- 
tial of the word dele) ; thus, wagion ; stofre ; 8/ 8/ 

8/ Albert' Finch ; a glass glm&box.* 8/ 

3. Draw a short oblique line after every cor- 
rection made in the margin. Place the marks 
of correction in the order in which the mistakes 
occur. 

Exercise. — (Review.) 

For plan of conducting, see Teacher's Edition. 



* The word dele is a Roman or Latin word. The letter 5 is the Greek d. If 
we should use the Roman d in the margin, one could not tell whether the letter 
marked was to be struck out or changed to a d. 



18 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

LESSON V. 
IS AND ABE; WAS AND WERE; MAS AND HAVE. 

IS AND ABE. 

Sarah is going. Bachel is going. 

Sarah and Bachel are going. 
Albany is in New York. Syracuse is in New York. 

Albany and Syracuse are in New York. 
The book is on my desk. Our table is made of wood. 

The books are on my desk. Tables are made of wood. 

Development Exercise, — 1. Read one of the above statements and 
tell about wlwt it is made. 2. Tell whether it is made about one or more 
than one person, or place, or thing. 3. Copy the statements that are made 
about one person, or place, or thing. 4. Read them from your slate ; tell 
whether the word is or the word are is used in each of them. 

When may we use the word is ? 

IV. When we make a statement abont one person, or place, or 

tiling, we may use is. 

5. Read the statements in which the word are is used, and tell of how 
many persons, or places, or things each statement is made. 

When should we use the word are ? 

V. When we make a statement about more than one person, or 

place, or thing, we should use are. 

6. Make a statement in which you use the word is, and tell of what the 
statement is made. 

7. Change the statement so that it will be correct to use the word are. 

Exercise 1. — (Oral.) 

Fill the blanks in this exercise with is or are : — 



THE STATEMENT. 19 

1. Gold heavy and yellow. 

2. Those apples ripe. 

3. The boy whistling a tune. 

4. Birds singing in the trees. 

5. London and Paris large cities. 

6. Mary and I going to school. 

7. Julia and Emily older than Jane. 

8. That pencil made of wood and lead. 

9. This pane of glass — — broken. 
10. We ready to write. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Write two statements in which you use the word is. 

2. Write three statements in which you use the word are. 

3. Write a statement about yourself. 

4. Write your name, and the name of the place, and the 

name of the State in which you live. 

5. Write the initials of the name of your country. 

Slates exchanged. 



WAS AND WERE. 

1. Read these statements: tell about ivhat each of them is 

made, and whether was or were is used : — 

The apple was ripe. Julia was older than Jane. 

The apples were ripe. Emily was older than Jane. 

Julia and Emily were older than Jane. 

2. Tell whether each statement is made about one or more 

than one person or thing. 

3. Tell whether vxis or ivere is used in the statements made 

about more than one. 



20 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

4. When may we use the word v:as ? 

YI. When we make a statement about one person, or place, or 
tiling, we may use the word was. 

5. When should we use viere ? 

Til. When we make a statement about more than one person, or 
place, or thing, we should use were. 

Exercise 3. — (Oral) 

1. Fill the blanks in Exercise 1 with was or were. 

2. Tell why you use was or ivere in each case. 

3. Copy V. and VI., Lesson V. 

Exercise 4. 

1. Write,— 

(a) two statements in which you use the word is, 

(b) two statements in which you use the word are, 

(c) two statements in which you use the word vjos, 

(d) two statements in which you use the word vjere. 

2. In each statement, draw a line under the word, or words, 

which show about what the statement is made. 

3. In each statement, draw two lines under the word, or 

words, which show what is stated. 
Oral criticism. 

HAS AND HAVE. 

Read these statements : — 

My knife has a handle. Knives have handles. 

Jessie has been to school. Maurice has been to school. 

Jessie and Maurice have been to school. 

Portland has a fine harbor. New York has a fine harbor. 

Portland and New York have fine harbors. 



THE STATEMENT. 21 

2. Tell about what each statement is made ; tell whether it 

states about one or more than one person, place, or thing. 

3. Tell whether has or have is used to state of more than one. 

4. When may we use the word has ? 

VIII. When we make a statement about one person, or place, or 

thing, we may use has. 

5. When should we use have ? 

IX. When we make a statement abont more than one person, 

or place, or thing, we should use have, 

6. Make a statement in which you use the word have ; tell 

why you would not use has in that statement. 

Exercise 5. 

1. Write three statements in which you use the word have. 

2. Write two statements in which you use the word has. 

3. Draw a line under the word, or words, which show about 

what each statement is made. 

4. Copy VIII. and IX., Lesson V. 

Exercise 6. 

Use is or are ; was or were ; has or have ; to make correct 
statements about, — 

1. An old man . 5. The wheel . 

2. Many beautiful flowers . 6. My friend and I . 

3. A boy and a dog . 7. Coal . 

4. Several books . 8. A carriage . 



Exercise 7. 
1. Fill the blanks with words which show who or what, — 



22 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



(a) are very tall. 

(&) is found in the sea. 

(c) were made of wood. 

(d) was seen in the sky. 

(e) *- have been found. 

(/) has been absent. 

(g) were in bloom. 

(h) is the capital of the United States. 

(i) are looking for shells. 

(/) were standing by the window. 

2. Read the statements that are made about one person, or 

place, or thing. 

3. What words do we use to state about one person, or place, 

or thing ? 

X. Is, ivas, or has states of one person, place, or thing. 

4. Of what do are, were, and have state ? 

XI. Are, were, and have state of more than one person, or 

place, or thing.* 

5. Draw a line under every word that is a name in your 

statements. 

6. Mention any word which you have used instead of a 

name. 



Exercise 

Pronounce and use correctly : — 



8. 



of, 


can, 


since, 


and, 


apron, 


for, 


get, 


just, 


have, 


iron, 


far, 


was, 


again, 


where, 


only, 


from, 


has, 


often, 


pretty, 


water. 




4 


* See Caution, page 


25. 





THE TWO PARTS OF A STATEMENT. 23 



CHAPTER III. 
THE TWO PARTS OF A STATEMENT. 



LESSON I. 

Boys | play ball. An owl | hoots. 

Carlo and Fido | are old friends. 

A large green book | was in the window. 

1. Tell about what each of the above statements is made. 

2. Tell what is stated about, — 

boys, an owl, Carlo and Fido, a large green book. 

3. Of how many parts is every statement made up ? 
I. Every statement is made up of two parts. 

4. What is the first part of a statement ? 

II. The word or words which show about what the statement 
is made are the first part of a statement. 

"What is the second part of a statement ? 
HI. The word or words which show what is stated are the second 
part of a statement. 

Exercise 1. 
1. Write five statements and draw a short vertical line be- 
tween the two parts of each statement. 



24 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Examples. — Margaret | made a picture. 

The butterfly and the bees | were in the 
garden. 

2. Copy I, II, and III. 

Exercise 2. — (Oral ami Blackboard.) 

1. Use is, or vjas, or has, in a statement about, — 

a boy, a baby, a lady, a sponge, your class. 

2. Use are, or were, or /z-ave, in a statement about, — 

trees, some sailors, Brooklyn and Liverpool, 

sponges, your class, flies, wasps, and bees. 

3. Write those statements, and draw a short vertical line 

between the first and second parts of each statement. 



LESSON II. 

Preceded by oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

(a) Baltimore | is in Maryland, (b) It | is a large city. 

(a) John | is a tall boy. 

(b) He | is taller than Alfred. 

(a) Trees | have roots, trunks, leaves, and branches. 

(b) They | need moisture and sunshine. 

(a) Julia Howe | sits by me. 

(b) She | is writing. (b) She | has a large slate. 

Development Questions. — 1. Read the first part of each statement. 
2. What does the first part of a statement show ? 3. How many words may- 
be used in the first part of a statement ? 4. Give an example of a statement 
that has several words in its first part. 5. Read the statements marked (a); 



THE TWO PARTS OF A STATEMENT. 25 

tell of how many words the first part of each is composed ; tell what kind of 
words Baltimore, John, trees, and Julia Howe are. 6. Read the statements 
marked (b), and tell how many words are in the first part of each. Tell 
what the words it, he, they, and she mean in those statements, and instead 
of what each is used. 7. Make a statement that has, (a) one word for its 
first part; (b) two or more words for its first part; (c) neither a name nor a 
word used instead of a name in its first part. 

Since the first part of a statement shows about what the 
statement is made, the name of what is talked about, or a 
word used instead of its name, must be in the first part of 
every statement. 

IV. The first part of a statement may be one word or more than 
one; as, Trees | have leaves in summer. The evergreen 
trees | have leaves throughout the year. 
V. A name, or a word used instead of a name, may be the first 
part of a statement. 

Exercise 1. — (Oral.) 

1. Instead of what names are the words / and you used ? 

Caution. — In making a statement about yourself, use have 
instead of has with the word I. Use are, were, and 
have with the word you, whether it mean one or more 
than one. 

2. Use each of these words as the first part of a statement : — 

I, it, we, he, they, she, you. 

3. Tell instead of what name each was used. 

4. Which of them would you use instead of the name 

in speaking of, — 

a man, yourself, a slate, soldiers, 

a woman, some trees, yourself and friends. 



26 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 2. 

The first time that you mention an object, you should use 
the name ; afterwards, you may use another word instead of 
the name ; thus, — 

The birds are building their nests. 

They have been busy all day. 

They use straw and threads and moss. 

1. Write two statements about a farmer. 

2. Write three statements about one place. 

3. Write two statements about one thing. 

4. Write a statement about yourself. 

5. Write two statements about a seamstress. 

Exercise 3. — (Oral.) 

Fill the blanks, in the following, with words that will 
make correct statements of them : — 



The is in bloom. 


I saw on the street. 






William came last night. 




Amelia has gone to Londo 




brought his sword 

home. 
Our class is large. 

study our lessons. 

play at recess. 






You can play with me. 


may use my slate. 



Write a list of the words that we may use instead of 
names to show about what a statement is made. 



THE TWO PARTS OF A STATEMENT. 27 

Exercise 4. — {Oral.) 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Exercise 5. 

Write a statement in which you use correctly, — 

is, was, has, I, caret, 

have, were, are, eye, carrot. 

REVIEW A1VD SUMMARY. 

I. Oral. 

1. Mention the name of, — 

a thing, a place, a person. 

2. What have you learned about the first letter of a word 

that is the name of a person or place ? 

3. Of what is the full name of a person made up ? 

4. What is the first letter of a word called ? 

5. Tell two things that you have learned about writing the 

initial letter of the name of a person or place* 

6. Name these marks : — 

A 

7. Tell the use of each of these marks : — 

E L c. S A • / 

8. What is a margin ? 

9. What is a statement ? How should a statement be 

written ? 
10. Tell how many parts every statement has. What does 
each part show ? 



28 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

11. What word shows that the speaker is stating something 

about himself ? How should it be written ? 

12. When may we use is, was, or has ? When may we use 

are, were, or have ? 

THINGS TO REMEMBER. 

r 1. a person, 
I. A word may be the name of < 2. a place, 

( 3. a thing. 
II. A word may be used instead of a name. 

III. A capital should be used for, — 

1. The first letter of a word that is the name of a per- 

son or place, 

2. An initial used for the name of a person or place, 

3. The word I used instead of a name, 

4. The first letter of a statement. 

IV. A period should be placed after, — 

1. A statement, 

2. A name standing alone, 

3. An initial used for a name. 

II. Written. 

Write a statement, — • 

1. In which you use the word I and the name of a place. 

2. That is made up of two words. 

3. In which you use the full name of a person. 

4. In which a word used instead of a name is the first part 

of the statement. 

5. In which you state something about more than one person, 

or place, or thing. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 29 

CHAPTEE IV. 
MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 



LESSON I. 
NAMES OF MATERIALS. 

1. Name an object in the room, and tell of what it is made. 

Name any other object made of the same. 

2. Tell of what these things are made : — 





a bottle, 


shoes, 


llgO CH.C JJJ.O.V 

a house, 


a stove, 


the door, 




a pencil, 


buttons, 


a knife, 


a lock, 


the ceiling, 




hats, 


jewelry, 


money, 


windows, 


dresses. 


That of which anything is made is called its material. 


3. 


Look around the room 


. and mention the different materials 




that you 


see. 









I, A word may be the name of a material; as, wood, glass, 
paper. 

Home Task. 

Make as long a list as you can of names of materials that 
you see at home. 

Learn to pronounce, spell, write, and use correctly, the 
names of all the materials that you can see in a shop, in a 
store, at home, at school, on your way to school, or wherever 
you go. 



30 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 1. 

"Write the names of the materials of which these things 
are made : — 

combs, houses, inkstands, clothing, clocks, 
dolls, dishes, money, furniture, jewelry. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Mention something that is made of, — 

gold, wood, straw, steel, marble, 

silver, leather, china, bone, slate, 

paper, iron, glass, shell, wool, 

cloth, brass, tin, pearl, cotton. 

2. Of what are these words the names ? Copy L, Chapter IV. 

Exercise 3. 

1. Learn to pronounce, spell, and write, the words in Exer- 

cise 2. 

2. Use each of these names of materials in a correct state- 

ment : — 

paper, leather, wood, glass, steel. 

3. Make three statements about (a) silver, (b) iron, (c) wool. 

4. What is a material ? 



LESSON II. 

NAMES OF PARTS. 
See Teacher's Edition. 

1. Name the parts of, — 

a chair, your hand, a shoe, an apple, a house, 
a hat, a knife, a wheel, a plant, a book. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 31 

2. Name the principal parts of the human body. 

3. Name one part of each of these animals which the others 

have not : — 

a fish, an elephant, a child, a horse, 

a bird, a sheep, a cat, a cow. 

n. A word may be the name of a part of an object ; as, stem, 
blade, hub, wing, arm. 

Home Task. 

Learn ten words that are names of parts of objects that 
you see at home, in the shops, or on the way to school. 

Exercise 1. 

Pronounce, spell, write, and use correctly, the new names 
which you have learned for parts of things. 

Learn to pronounce and spell the correct names of the 
parts of the objects which you see from day to day. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Write a statement about, — 

(a) a person, (b) a place, (c) a thing, 

(d) a material, (e) a part of an object. 

2. Draw a short line between the two parts of each state- 

ment. 

3. Draw a line under the words that are names in your state- 

ments. 

Exercise 3. — (Oral.) 
1. Tell of what each of these words is the name : — 

Ellen, California, linen, carriage, root. 



sole, 


fleece, 


trunk, 


antlers, 


flesh, 


fur, 


gills, 


plumage, 


gable, 


feelers, 


scale, 


foliage. 



32 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

2. Pronounce, spell, write at dictation, and use correctly in a 
statement, each of these names of parts : — 

claws, 

peel, 
wrist, 

Exercise 4. 

1. "Write five words that are the names of parts of things 

in the school-room, and write the names of the materials 
of which those parts are made. 

2. Write the name of a person and the name of the place in 

which he lives. 

3. Write three words that are the names of things. 

4. Copy: 

f 1. a person, 
I 2. a place, 

A word may be the name 

material, 



f <j 3. a thing, 
I 4. a materi 
[ 5. a part. 



5. Mention the names in the following : — 

(a) John broke the blade of his knife. 

(b) The knife was made at Sheffield, but the steel was 

poor. 

As you mention each name, tell whether it is the name of 
a person, a place, a thing, a material, or a part. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 33 

LESSON III. 
PROPER NAMES AND COMMON NAMES. 

Introduced by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

(a) A boy came yesterday. (a) A dog will bark. 
(&) Philip carne yesterday. (b) Carlo will bark. 

(a) A river flows by a city. 

(b) The Mississippi flows by Saint Louis. 

Development Questions. — 1. Read the first part of each statement 
marked («). 2. How can you tell from these statements which boy, dog, 
river, or city is meant ? 3. Read the statements marked (b). 4. Tell from 
these statements what boy, dog, river, and city are meant. 5. How do you 
know from these statements which boy, dog, river, and city are meant ? 

6. What kind of words are Philip, Carlo, Mississippi, and Saint Louis. 

7. Tell the difference between the name Philip and the name boy ; the name 
dog and the name Carlo ; the name city and the name Saint Louis ; the name 
Mississippi and the name river. 

There are a great many boys in the world, and any one of them may 
be called a boy ; bnt each boy has a name of his own ; as, Philip, 
Charles, Scott ; and such names belong only to the boys to whom 
they are given. 

The word dog is a name that belongs to any dog : the word Carlo is 
a name given to one particular dog. 

Any one of all the rivers in the world may be called a river, but each 
river has a name of its own ; as, the Mississippi, Hudson, Platte. 

There are cities all over the world, and each is known by its particular 
name ; as, Saint Louis, New Orleans, London, Montreal. 

III. A name given to some particular one (of a class) is called a 
proper name ; as, Leonard, Jip, Hudson, New York. 



34 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



IT. A name that belongs to any one of a whole class or kind of 
things is called a common name ; as, boy, dog, river, city. 

1. Eead the names in these statements ; as you mention 

each, tell whether it is a proper name or a common 
name, and why : — 

An island is in an ocean. Cub* is in the Atlantic. 

Dick sin^s and flies. The bird sina-s and flies. 

Amy sews neatly. The girl sews neatly. 

Example. — The word island is a common name, because 
it belongs to any island in the world. The word Cuba is a 
proper name, because it is the name of a particular island. 

2. Tell w T hich of these are proper and w r hich common names, 

and why : — ■ 

lake, 

Erie, 

month, 

January, 

girl, 

Amy, 

V. The first letter of any proper name should be a capital ; as, 
Wednesday, June, Pacific. 

3. Write five common names and a suitable proper name for 

each object named. 

YI. When a common name (as, lake, ocean, street, avenue, 
city, state, county) is joined to a proper name as part 
of it, it should begin with a capital letter; thus, Elm 
Street, Euclid Avenue, Lake Erie* 



star, 
Venus, 


state, 
Alabama, 


day, 
Friday, 


street, 
Main, 


country, 
England, 


sled, 
Scout, 


horse, 
Jack, 


county, 
Broome, 


ship, 

Eoyal George. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 35 

4. Tell which of the following words are proper names ; 

which are common names ; and why the common names 

are written with capitals : — 
Arizona Territory, Christmas Day, Lake Champlain, 
New York City, Cat Island, Atlantic Ocean. 

^ Home Task. 

Write the proper name of (1) the street on which you 
live ; (2) the county* in which you live ; (3) the language 
that you speak; (4) the river nearest your home; (5) an 
object which you have seen. 

Exercise 1. 

Write the proper name of (1) a pupil in your class ; (2) a 
city in this state ; (3) the ocean west of the United States ; 
(4) the lake nearest your home ; (5) a boat or sled ; (6) an 
engine or an animal ; (7) this day ; (8) this month ; (9) the 
language that we speak; (10) the continent on which we 
live. 

Exercise 2. 

Learn to pronounce, spell, use, and write at dictation : — 

THE NAMES OF DAYS. 

Sunday, 

Monday, Thursday, 

Tuesday, Friday, 

"Wednesday, Saturday. 

Hew Tear's Day, Good Friday, Easter, 

Fourth of July, Christmas, Thanksgiving Day. 

THE NAMES OF MONTHS. 

1. January, 4. April, 7. July, 10. October, 

2. February, 5. May, 8. August, 11, November, 

3. March, 6. June, 9. September, 12. December. 



36 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Exercise 3. 

1. Write the name of the month in which you were born. 

2. Write the names of all the months which have thirty- 

days. 

3. Write the name of the shortest month. 

4. Write the name of the first month in the year. 

5. Write the name of the month in which Christmas comes. 

6. Write the names of the two warmest months in the year. 

7. Write the name of the middle month of Autumn. 

8. Fill the blanks in this couplet with the names that are 

left out : — 

winds and April showers 

Bring the pretty flowers. 

9. Write the names of the days of the week. 

10. Write the name given (a) to the first day of the year ; 
(b) to the 25th of December ; (c) to the great Ameri- 
can holiday. 

The seasons are Spring, Summer, Fall or Autumn, and 
Winter. You need not write the names of the seasons with 
capitals. 

Exercise 4. 

Copy these statements : — 

(a) Beautiful birds are found in South America. 

(b) This coral grew in the Indian Ocean. 

(c) Cotton, wool, linen, and silk are useful. 

(d) Chestnut Street is a very wide street. 

(V) The wheel has a hub, spokes, a tire, and a felly. 

1. Draw a short line between the parts of each statement. 

2. Draw one line under every proper name. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 37 

3. Draw two lines under every common name. 

4 Make a list of the words that are names of materials. 

5. Write the words that are names of parts. 

Exercise 5. 

Write a statement in which you use correctly, — 

is, are, has, have, was, were, 

a proper name, a name of a material, 

a common name, a name of a part. 

A Review Lesson. 
1. Read, — 

Robert Greene had an uncle who was a sea-captain. His 
full name was Andrew Marcus Greene, but he always wrote 
his name, A. M. Greene. Robert called him " Uncle Mark." 

One summer Uncle Mark told Robert that he would take 
him and his cousin George on a voyage. The boys were 
delighted, and soon gained the consent of their parents and 
were ready to go. 

They were to sail from New York, and Robert's father 
went with them and saw them safe on board the great ship. 

During the week, they had talked a great deal about the 
voyage. George hoped that they would go to Africa. He 
knew that the ivory handle of his knife was made from the 
tusk of an elephant, and he had heard that many ele- 
phants were found in Africa. He had read of the ostrich, a 
bird six or seven feet tall, and strong enough to carry a man 
on its back, and he wanted to see it and get some of its 
feathers for his sister's hat. 

Robert thought that he would like to go to Africa too. 
He had been told of the sponges gathered from the rocks in 



38 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



the sea north of Africa, and had read of the cork-trees which 
are robbed of their thick bark once in eight or ten years. 
And he wanted a gazelle, a beautiful little animal, gentle 
and graceful, that can be brought to this country and tamed 
and kept as a pet. 

But Uncle Mark said that they would go to Brazil, a 
country in South America. He told them of the oranges and 
lemons, and gold and diamonds, and rare birds and plants, 
that are found in Brazil, and the boys thought that they 
would rather go there than to Africa. Robert soon found on 
a map the city of Eio Janeiro, where they would land and 
get a cargo of coffee to bring back to New York. 

1. Find on a map, — 





Africa, and the sea north of it, Brazil, 
New York, Bio Janeiro. 


2. 


Pronounce, — 








par-ents voy-age 
cof-fee i-vo-ry 


Rio Janeiro 
el-e-phants 


ostrich 
gazelle 


3. 


Spell, — 
uncle beautiful 
cousin gentle 
enough diamonds 


animal orange 
deer coffee 
cargo ivory 


summer 
feathers 
handle 


4 


Use these words correctly in statements : 






eye, their, dear, 
I. there. deer. 


sail, new, 
sale. knew. 


sea, red, 
see. read. 



5. Write all the names of persons that you can find in the 

story. Write Uncle Mark's initials. 

6. Copy the names of the places mentioned. Write the 

initials of the two cities. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 39 

7. Write the names of the things that the boys expected to 

see in Africa. Write the names of the things that 
Uncle Mark told them were to be found in Brazil. 

8. Write the name of the body of water over which they 

would go from New York to Eio Janeiro. 

9. Write the words that are used in the story instead of names. 
J.O. Tell of what each of these is the name : — 

ivory, tusk, . Eobert, sponge, oranges, 

sold, handle, New York, feathers, cork-trees. 

11. Write two short statements about Eobert Greene. 

12. Write a statement about an ostrich, sponges, cork-trees. 

13. Tell three uses of a period. 

14. Give an example of the use of a capital for, — 

(a) The first letter of a name of a person or place. 
(&) An initial letter used instead of the name of a 
person or place. 

(c) The first letter of a statement. 

(d) The first letter of any proper name. 

(e) The first letter of a common name when joined 

to a proper name. 

15. Draw a short line between the two parts of each of these 

statements : — 

Eobert was fond of animals. 

He wanted a gazelle. 

His Cousin George wanted to see an ostrich. 

Tell whether the first part of each is composed of one word 
or of more than one ; if the first part be but one word, tell 
whether that word is a name, or a word used instead of a 
name. 



40 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



CHAPTER V. 
MORE TO LEARN ABOUT STATEMENTS. 



LESSON I. 
THE COMMA AND AJSTD. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

1. Tell what we mean by, — 

a pair of gloves, a herd of cattle, 

a brace of ducks, a yfoc& of birds, 

a couple of mice, a r£rcwe of horses, 

a swarm of bees, a scAoo£ of fish. 

When we speak of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Eeaders to- 
gether, we do not use any of those words. "We call them a series 
of Readers. 

2. What is a series ? 

Three or more things of the same kind following one after the 
other make a series ; as, a series of lessons, a series of 
books, a series of accidents. 

In these statements we have a series of names: — 

The chair, table, door, box, and desk are made of wood. 
Carlo, Jip, Ponto, and Rover are good watch-c 
A wheel has a hub, tire y felly, box, and spokes. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT STATEMENTS. 41 

3. What mark is used between the names of a series ? 

I. The comma [,] is used between the names of a series. 

Because it sounds better, the word and is sometimes used, 
after the comma, between the last two names of a series. 

Exercise 1. 

Copy these statements and place a comma where one is 
needed : — 

1. Apples peaches pears grapes and plums are common fruits. 

2. Birds have heads necks bodies legs and wings. 

3. That sailor has been to England Spain and Italy. 

4. Those children were told to bring a sponge a slate a pencil 

and a pen. 

5. Wood steel and brass were used to make it. 

Exercise 2. 

Finish these statements with names of parts, and use a 
period, a comma, and the word and, wherever needed. 

1. A shoe has 

2. A tree has 



3. An elephant has 

4. A cat has 

5. A peacock has - 



Exercise 3. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

We may make one statement out of several ; thus, — 
The lemons were ripe. The grapes were ripe. 

The oranges were ripe. The pears were ripe. 
The lemons, oranges, grapes, and pears were ripe. 



42 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

When you make one statement out of several by omitting 
words, place a comma where the words are omitted, and use 
and after the comma between the last two words of the series. 

1. Make one statement of, — 

(a) Flowers grew there. Moss grew there. Grasses 

grew there. Ferns grew there. 

(b) A farmer sells oats. A farmer sells wheat. A 

farmer sells hay. A farmer sells corn. 

(c) We saw horses. We saw cattle. We saw sheep. 

We saw dogs. 

(d) Chalk is white. Snow is white. Ivory is white. 

2. Write the four statements made, and use the commas and 

and correctly. 



LESSON II. 
THE RESIDENCE OR ADDRESS. 

For preceding oral and black-board work, see Teacher's Edition. 

Alice Underwood [lives at 

347 Sixth Street [in the city of 
Nashville [in the State of 
Tennessee. 

Development Questions. - 1. What is a statement? 2. Is -Alice 
Tnferlo d iL at 347 Sixth Street, in the city of Nashville, m the State of 
T^essee," a statement? What does it state? Read the first part and the 
second part of the statement: 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT STATEMENTS. 43 

Copy the statement. 

3. What mark should be placed at the close of a statement ? 4. After 
what word is the period placed in this statement ? 5. Of what is the word 
Tennessee the name ? 6. How should the names of persons and places be 
written ? 7. Read every word in the statement that is the name of a person 
or place, and see that it begins with a capital letter. 8. What is a proper 
name? 9. How should a proper name be written? 10. How should the 
words street, county, lake, &c. be written, when joined to a proper name ? 
11. Look at the name of the street mentioned in the statement : is it cor- 
rectly written ? 12. What do you learn from such a statement ? 

Rewrite the statement, and omit all the words that are not 
proper names ; thus, — 

34-/ 6nccm £/foeet, 



13. Tell what words you omitted. 14. What mark should be used in a 
statement instead of omitted words ? 15. Place commas where "lives at," 
" in the city of," and " in the state of" were left out. 

Use your full name for the first part of a statement, and tell 
in the second part where you live. 

Where one lives is called his residence. The name of a person and 

the words which show where he resides make up his address. 
The address is made up of four parts, viz. : — 

(a) The name of a person, (c) The name of a city, 

(b) The house number, and (cl) The name of a State ; 

name of a street, 



44 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

or, 

(a) The name of a person, (c) The name of a county, 

(b) The name of a place, (d) The name of a State. 

These four parts are called the items of the address. 

II. A comma should be placed after every item of the address 
except the last. 
A period should be placed after the last item ; thus, — 

Albert Edison, Jane Peabody, 

48 Euclid Avenue, Brockport, 

Cleveland, Monroe County, 

Ohio. New York. 

Home Task. 

Learn the items of your address. 

Exercise 1. 

Write your address. 

Cautions. — 1. Always write your address so plainly that 
there cannot be a mistake in reading it. 

2. Do not omit any of the items. 

3. Begin each item a little farther to the right than the 

item above it. 

4. Begin all proper names with capitals. 

5. Begin the ivords Street, County, &c. with capitals. 

6. Place a comma after every item but the last. 

7. Place a period after the last item. 

Sometimes the number and name of the street, or the name of the 
county, may be written in the lower left-hand corner. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT STATEMENTS. 45 

III. When an item of the address is placed at the left, it shonld be 
followed by a period ; thus, 

Albert Edison, Jane Peabody, 

Cleveland, Brockport, 

48 Euclid Avenue. Ohio. Monroe County. New York- 

Test Exercises. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Copy this exercise on your slate, and use the proper marks 

to show what corrections should be made : — 

(a) e c emerson 

(b) A Eiver flows between Brooklyn and New York 

city, 

(c) Eunice and me went Satturday 

(d) grasshoppers bees butterflies and wasps are insects, 

(e) David Benjamin Bichardson 

Concord 
Williamson County, Tennessee 

2. Bewrite the above exercise, correcting all mistakes. 

Exercise 2. — (Dictation.) 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Exercise 3. — (Oral.) 

1. Give an example of: — 

1. a person, 



(a) A word that is the name of-< 



i 



2. a place, 

3. a thing, 

4. a material, 

5. a part. 



46 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

(b) A proper name ; a common name. 

(c) A common name used as a part of a proper name. 

2. Tell how many and what rules you have learned for the 

use of capitals. 

3. Give four rules for the use of a period. 

4. Give two rules for the use of the comma. 

5. Tell what is meant by, — 

a margin, a series, the address, 

a caret, a statement a material 

Exercise 4. 

1. Write your full name. 

2. "Write the initials of your name. 

3. Write your address. 

4. Write the name of this day. 

5. Write the name of this month. 

6. Write the name (a) of a material, (b) of a thing, (c) of a 

part,- (d) of a place, (e) of a person. 

7. Write a statement in which you use is, are, vjos, were, 

has, have. 

8. Draw a line between the two parts of each statement. 

9. Write a statement about yourself. 

10. Write three statements about one thin^. 



A, AN, AND THE, 47 



CHAPTEE VI. 
A, AN, AND THE. 



LESSON I. 

WHEN TO USE A AND WHEN TO USE AN. 

1. Read, — 

a watch, a bottle, an oak-tree, an engine, 

a shoe, a map, an egg, an orange, 

a chestnut, a lemon, an island, an ink-stand. 

How do you read the word a before another word ? 
The word a before another word is read as if it were the first 
syllable of that word. 

What does the word a mean ? 
The word a means one. 

What does an mean ? 
An means one. 

A long time ago, people began to say curie shoe or arte egg when they 
meant one shoe or one egg. Then they dropped the e and said an 
shoe or an egg for one shoe or one egg. 

But an did not sound well before all words ; as, an gun, an shoe, an 
nut s and it was hard to speak an before some of them, so they 
dropped the n before such words. Now we use either a or an to 
mean one. 



48 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

2. Read these words and put either a or an where there 
is a — : 

— unit — one — herb — ewe 

— house — angel — fish — ox 

— window — echo — elephant — hand 

— cellar — island — tiger — hour 

Would you not like to learn just token to use a and when 
to use an to mean one ? 

3. Speak these words : — 

ant, egg, ink, ox, up. 

Words that we speak or hear are called spoken words. 
Spoken words are made up of sounds. 

4. Speak these words very slowly so that we can hear every 

sound in each ; as, 

ant, egg, ink, ox, up, 

a-n-t, e-gg, l-n-k, o-x, ii-p. 

5. Give the first sound of each word ; thus, 

vs w u w \j 

a, e, i, o, u. 

6. Read these words and give the first sound of each ; thus, 

ale, eel, isle, oak, eye. 

a, e, I, o, y. 

7. Give the first sound of each of these words : — 



ah, 


air, 


awe, 


our, 


oil, 


earl, 


ask, 


owl, 
irksome. 


hour, 


oyster, 



A, AN, AND THE. 49 

Notes. — 1. Tliis [ w ] mark shows that the sound of the let- 
ter is short. It is called the breve. 
2. This [~] mark shows that the letter has the long sound. 
It is called the macron. 

8. Eead what the echo said : — 

a e I o u 

Eead what the wind said : — 

aeioooeuea 

Eead what the fop said : — 

ah aw ow oi ai aw 

Sounds made by the voice, with the month held well open, are called 
vocals. 

9. Give the vocals heard in these words : — 

bat, hop, cow, dark, act, red, 

mane, oil, tub, ape, rudder, fair. 

10. Speak these words very slowly, and give the first sound 

of each ; thus, 

top, hop, pin, keg, fan. 

t-op, h-op, p-in, k-eg, f-an. 

t, h, p, k, f. 

Sounds made by the breath alone are called aspirates. 

11. Speak these words, and give the first sound heard : — 

bud, dog, mat, gun, log, jug. 



i-ud, 


d-og, 


m-at, 


g-un, 


l-og> 


j-ug- 


b, 


d, 


m, 


g> 


I 


J- 



Sounds made by the voice and breath together are called subvocals, 



50 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



I. When the first sound heard in speaking a word is A yocal 
we may use an before that word ; as, 

an ax, an earl, an acre, an egg, an hour. 

n. When the first sound heard in speaking a word is a sur- 
yocal or an aspirate we may use a before that word ; * as, 

a one, a youth, a pin, a cart, a useful life, 
a unit, a book, a half, a ewe, a hundred. 

12. Pronounce these words: give the first sound heard in 
each : tell whether the first sound is a vocal, subvocal, 
or aspirate : use a or an before each of them : — 



— angle 


— old man 


— ed^e 


— honor 


— awl 


— upper room 


— eight 


— ark 


— almond 


— urn 


— ear 


— oyster 


— ball 


— carpet 


— dark room — oil-can 


— acre 


— yew 


— ewe 


— unit 


— wagon 


— young man 


— eye 


— aim 


13. Before what words may we use a ? an ? 






LESSON II. 






HOW TO PEONOUNCE THE. 




1. Bead,— 








the book, 


the ox, 


the fence, 


the hour, 


the cart, 


the elk, 


the gate, 


the initial, 


the dog, 


the eel, 


the house, 


the urn. 



* Words beginning with the sound of h and accented on the second syllable; 
as, an he-r6-ic action, an his-tor-i-cal account, are exceptions to this rule. 



A, AN, AND THE. * 51 

When we speak of the as a word alone, we pronounce it the. 

m. The word the is pronounced thi before a yocal, and thU be- 
fore a subyocal or an aspirate. 

2. Read for practice : — 



thi angel, 


thi east, 


thii boat, 


thii pencil, 


trii honor, 


thi elk, 


thii cars, 


thii hat, 


thi oak, 


thi earnest, 


thii girl, 


thii cap. 



Exercise 1. — (Oral.) 

1. Use either a or an before, — 

harp, match, ark, oyster, zebra, augur, evening, 
lamb, wonder, echo, plum, office, ankle, idler, 
unit, ape, heir, vane, aisle, arm, journey. 

2. Pronounce the before each of the above words. 

3. Write these words and use a breve or macron correctly 

above each letter that stands for a vocal : — 

ice, ink, ax, ox, net, 

nut, meat, Jane, old, mule. 

Exercise 2. 

Pronounce correctly and copy: — 

edg-es, ev-er-y, sau-cy, 

tl-ny, hur-rah, fast-en, 

pil-low, of-ffce, list-en, 

pil-lar, dis-trict, care. 



52 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

CHAPTEE VII. 
MOKE TO LEAKN ABOUT NAMES. 



LESSON I. 

Introduced by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

pencil, cap, hat, book, 

pencils. caps. hats. books. 

slate, shoe, clock, desk, 

slates. shoes. clocks. desks, 

A word may be the name of one thing, 

A word may be the name of more than one thing. 

I. To show that more than one thing of a kind is meant, s is 
usually added to the name. 

1. Speak and write each of these names so that it will mean 

more than one: — 

table, bottle, lock, glove, tree, 
pear, finger, door, hoe, plant. 

2. Speak each of these names so that it will mean but one : — 

windows, pictures, arms, tongues, objects, 
flowers, vines, legs, names, things. 

Home Task. 

Write ten words (that are names of things, or of parts of 
things), to each of which you can add s to make it mean 
more than one. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 53 

LESSON II. 

Preceded by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Speak these words so that each will mean more than 

one : — 

dress, adz, church, box, edge, wish. 

Development Questions, — 1. What do you add to the words dress, 
adz, church, box, and edge, to make each mean more than one ? 2. Try to 
speak the words with only s added. 3. How many syllables are in the words 
dress, box, &c. ? 4. How many are in the words dresses, boxes, churches, 
&c. ? 5. What is the second syllable of each ? 6. What does the syllable es 
show when added to box, dress, &c. ? 7. Why do we not add s only ? 
8. Mention the last sound heard in speaking each of the following words : — 

dress, adz, church, box, edge, wish, 

gas, waltz, arch, fox, age, brush. 

n. When a word that is the name of but one ends in s 9 z, sh, x, 
ch (as in church), or the sound of j, we add es to show 
that it means more than one ; as, — 

axes, stitches, edges, kisses, waltzes, 

foxes, lashes, taxes, guesses, inches* 

2. Speak and write these names so that each will mean 

more than one : — 



bridge, 


tress, 


bench, 


wish, 


watch, 


loss, 


ash, 


tush, 


prize, 


pass, 


adz, 


mesh, 


birch, 


wedge, 


lodge, 


ledge, 


cress, 


moss. 



III. When we add es to a name that ends in e we drop the final 
e; thus, 

* When a word ends in ch sounded like k, as in monarch, we add s only to 
show that it means more than one. 



54 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

bridge -fes prize + es ledge + es 

bridg + es priz+es ledg-f-es 

wedge + es lodge -f es edge -f- es 

wedg-fes lodg+es edg+es 

Exercise 1. 

1. Copy from any book ten words that mean but one, to 

which you can add s or es to show that they mean more 
than one. 

2. Make a statement about, — 

a boat, a fence, a bridge, a fox. 

3. Make the same statements using each name so that it 

means more than one. 

Exercise 2. — (Dictation.) 



LESSON III. 

Development Questions. — 1. Tell of what each of these words is the 
name : — 

calf, half, sheaf, wolf. 

2. In what letter does each of them end ? 3. Speak the words so that each 
will mean more than one. 4. How many syllables are there in the words 
calves, halves, sheaves, wolves ? 4. What change do you make in the words 
calf, half, &c, so that each may mean more than one ? 

IV. When a name that means but one ends in f 9 the / is usually 
changed to v and es added to show that it means more 
than one. 

Write these words so that each will mean more than one : — 

leaf, shelf, knife, life, wife, loaf. 



more to learn about names. 55 

Exercise 1. 

1. Make a statement about, — 

a calf, a wolf, a knife, a loaf, a shelf. 

2. Write each of those statements so that they will state 

about more than one calf, wolf, &c. 

3. Learn to spell these words that end in /, but do not change 

ftov when they mean more than one : — 

staffs, hoofs, turfs, cliffs. 

T. To change a name that means bnt one so that it will mean 
more than one, we sometimes change the word$ as,— 

ox, man, goose, 

oxen. men. geese. 

1. Speak the name of more than one, — 

tooth, foot, child, woman, mouse. 

2. Write the words, — 

teeth, feet, children, women, mice. 

3. Tell what each word means. 

4. Speak these words so that each will mean more than 

one : — 

deer, sheep, trout, salmon, 

bass, heathen, swine, cannon. 

yi. The words sheep, deer, trout, salmon, &c. are used to 
mean but one, and also to mean more than one. 

Caution. — The word hose, meaning a pipe or tube, is used 
to mean either one or more than one. The word hose, 



56 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

meaning stockings, should be used only in speaking of a 
pair of hose, or of several pairs 
In the same way we speak of a suit of clothes, a pair of 
scissors, a barrel of ashes ; and the names clothes, hose, 
scissors, and ashes should never be used without the s. 



LESSON IV. 

What is a written word ? 

Words that we read or write are called written words. 

Of what are written words made up ? 

Written words are made up of letters, 

For what are letters used ? 

Letters are used to represent the sounds heard in spoken words. 

How many kinds of sounds do they represent? 

Three. 

What are they ? 

C vocals, made by the yoice. 
The sounds are < aspirates, made by the breath. 

v subrocals, made by the yoice and breath. 

Give examples of each. 

What is a letter that represents a vocal called ? 

A letter that represents a yocal is called a vowel. 

Name the Vowels. 

The vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. 

What are the other letters called ? 

The other letters are called consonants. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 57 

What do the consonants represent? 
Consonants represent sub vocals and aspirates, 

Note. — Two of the consonants, w and y, are sometimes 
used to represent vocals ; as in eye, myth, myrtle, boy, 
oyster, now, powder. 

When are w and y vowels ? 

When w or y represents a vocal it is a vowel* 

1. Speak each of these words so that it will mean more than 

one : — 

lady, tidy, body, baby, pony. 

2. Tell in what letter each ends. 

3. Is the letter before the y, in each, a vowel or a consonant ? 

Til. When a name that means but one ends in y preceded by a. 
consonant the y is changed to £, and es added, to show that 
it means more than one ; thus, 

ladies, tidies, babies, bodies, ponies. 

4 Speak each of these words so that it will mean more than 
one : — 

day, boy, valley, money, donkey. 

5. Tell what kind of a letter is used before the final y of 
each word. 

Y11JL. When a name that means but one ends in y preceded by a 
vowel, we merely add s to the name to show that it means 
more than one 5 as, days, boys, valleys, moneys, donkeys. 



58 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

6. Write these words so that each will mean more than 

one : — 

duty, city, cony, beauty, penny, 

toy, ray, monkey, play, boy. 

7. Learn to spell these words that mean more than one : — 

zeros, negroes, cantos, heroes, 

solos, potatoes, halos, tomatoes, 

echoes, cargoes, calicoes, volcanoes, 

mottoes, grottos, embargoes, vetoes. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Write these names of parts of the body so that each will 
mean more than one : — 



leg, 


tooth, 


tongue, 


wrist, 


calf, 


eye, 


toe, 


foot, 


eyelash, 


ear, 


nose, 


thuinb, 


body, 


knee, 


hair. 



2. Copy all the common names in Lesson — of your Reader,- 
and write each so that it will mean more than one. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Change the words in this list, (a) so that those which mean 
but one will mean more than one; (b) so that those 
which mean more than one will mean but one : — 



lamp, 


match, 


tooth, 


women, 


cloaks, 


witches, 


self, 


goose, 


paper, 


ox, 


wolves, 


feet, 


house, 


cherry, 


thief, 


child, 


arch, 


berries 


mouse, 


girls. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 59 

2. Fill the blanks in these statements with words chosen 

from the list : — 

(a) The loved their children. 

(b) The are ripe. 

(c) A has four . 

(d) A has two , but has not a . 

(e) The was made of glass. 

(/) The and are made of stone. 

(g) The is afraid of the and . 

3. Make a statement about, — 

an ox, a cherry, children, 

a paper, wolves, your cloaks. 

4. Change the statements so that each will state about 

more than one. 





LESSON 


V. 






Preceded by oral lesson indicated 


in Teacher's Edition 


i. 


a book, 


an organ, 


an 


ax, 


a town, 


the book, 


the organ, 


the 


ax, 


the town, 


the books. 


the organs. 


the 


axes. 


the towns. 



The words a and an mean one, and should be nsed only before 
names that mean but one. The word the may be nsed before 
names that mean but one, and also before names that mean more 
than one. 

this slate, that slate, 

these slates. those slates, 

this apple, that angle, 

these apples. those angles. 



60 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

The word this means but one. The word that means but one. This 
is used in speaking of an object that is near, and that in speak- 
ing of one that is farther away. 

These means more than one. Those means more than one. These 
shows that the things spoken of are near. Those shows that 
the things spoken of are farther away. 

This, that, these, and those may be used before any sound or 
letter. 

Exercise 1. 

Fill the blanks in this exercise with a or an, this or that. 

these or those : — 

1. He drove ox with whip. 



2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 


blade has point and edge. 

shoemaker has awl and last. 

children gave me apples. 

upper room is not always airy room. 






arms — undergrowth — geese — 

■ herb — question — goose — 
• pastures — engine — honey-bee — 

■ woolen-coat — aunt — ice-box — 


kisses 
lights • 
nights 
oxen 



Exercise 2. 

1. Write a statement about, — 

the door, scissors, sheep, 

an old coat, an owl, a child. 

2. Eead each statement so that it shall state about more 

than one. 

3. Draw a line between the first and second parts of each 

statement. 



more to learn about names. 61 

Exercise 3. 

1. Write each of these words so that it will mean more 

than one : — 

path, engine, balcony, shelf, woman, 

horse, fox, half, man, deer, 

notch, buggy, canopy, louse, trout. 

2. Write two full names of persons. Write their initials. 

3. Write two names of places ; two names of things ; two 

names of materials ; two names of parts of things. 

Exercise 4. 

Bead these statements, using is, are, was, were, has, or have 
wherever there is a : 

1. Ezra a good boy. 

2. Ezra and Charles playing in the yard. 

3. That leaf green in summer. 

4. The flowers in bloom. 

5. Those flowers fading now. 

6. Those leaves fallen from the trees. 

7. The snow covered the ground. 

8. Linen, cotton, and wool used. 

9. We heard those birds sing. 

10. He seen a rainbow. 

Exercise 5. 
Write two statements in which you use, — 

1. A name that means but one, is, and some other words. 

2. A name that means more than one, are, and other words. 

3. Two or more names each of which means but one, are, and 

some other words. 



62 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

4. Two or more names each of which means more than one, 

are, and some other words. 

5. Draw a short line between the two parts of each state- 

ment. 

QUESTIONS FOE EEVIEW. 
A. — Oral. 

1. Eead these two words : a, the. 

2. Speak each of them before the words button, cover, 

lovjer shelf. 

3. Speak the before initial, army, upper shelf. 

4. Tell when you may use, — 

this, that, is, was, has, 

these, those, are, were, have. 

5. Before what words may an be used ? 

6. What is a series ? an initial ? a margin ? a spoken word ? 

a loritten word ? a vocal ? a vowel 1 a subvocal ? an aspi- 
rate ? a consonant ? a macron ? a breve ? a material ? a 
proper name 1 a common name ? 

7. Is y a vowel or a consonant in, — 

my, myrrh, pity, young, your. 

8. Is xo a vowel or a consonant in, — 

now, wagon, awe, wonder, we. 

9. What do these marks show ? 

= 1. c. B a / a e 

10. Use either a or an and speak the before, — 

end, sponge, beetle, early bird, ear, 

insect, worm, fly, bat, ape. 



(a) 


say, 


sat, 


air, 


are, 


ask, 


w 


key, 


let, 


ere, 


eight, 


herb. 


w 


ice, 


ill 


machine, 


dirt. 




w 


owe, 


coffee, 


one, 


do, 


wolf, 


00 


rise, 


cup, 


spur, 


true, 


pull. 


(2/) 


my, 


myth, 


myrtle. 







MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 63 

11. Give the vocal heard in, — 

all. 



horn. 



12. Of what is the full name made up ? Why should you 

always speak and write the name of a person or place 
very plainly ? 

13. What is a statement ? Tell what each part of a state- 

ment shows. 

14. Tell when you would use, — 

I, it, we, you, he, they, she. 

15. Name the parts of the foot of a cat, and tell, in state- 

ments, the use of each part. 

16. Of what items is one's address made up ? 

B. — Written. 

1. Write a word that is the name of, — 

a person, a place, a thing, a material, apart. 

2. Write the full name of a person. Draw one line under 

the surname and two lines under the Christian name. 

3. Write a statement and draw a short vertical line between 

the two parts of it. 

4. Make these marks on your slate, and write the name of 

each : — 



64 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

5. Copy these words and use the proper marks to denote 

corrections : — 

i Saw alice. a verry goode led pensil. 

6. Write the initials of the name of your country. 

7. Write your address. 

8. Use commas where they are needed in these statements : 

(a) Ants wasps beetles bees and flies are insects. 

(b) The tree has roots a trunk branches and leaves. 

9. Write these words : (a) so that those which mean but one 

will mean more than one ; (b) so that those which 
mean more than one will mean but one. 



car 


bush 


wolves 


woman 


solo 


taxes 


bench 


beauties 


deer 


hero 


walls 


miss 


body 


moss 


potato 


wish 


topazes 


day 


ferns 


halo 


prizes 


loaf 


oxen 


grasses 


volcano 



10. Write this exercise and make all the corrections indi- 
cated : — 

Minnie E stowers ./ ,/ 

A = A 

1. c. Philadelphia, 

PeniL 
84 Chestnut street] ./ 

that boy, John fisher, said^ that i mit have B/ gh/ 
,/ ,/ his gun knife cap, and game-bag ./ 

A A ^A 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 65 

SUMMARY. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

C\. a person. 
I 2. a place. 

I. A word may be the name of -i 3. a thing. 

I 4. a material. 

l_5. a part of a thing. 

n-x-r £ , ,. j \ 1. Proper names. 

. Names are of two kinds, j ft r , 

( 2. Common names. 

III. "Words are of two kinds. J " ,£°.* n W ° r f' 

( 2. Written words. 



[■ 



Vocal, made by the voice. 
[Y, The SOnnds are ■{ 2. Aspirate, made by the breath. 

3. Subvocal, made by voice and breath. 

-j. _ ( 1. Yowels, which represent vocals. 

( 2. Consonants, which represent other sounds. 

xtt A ( 1. but one. 

VI. A name may mean j _ ,, 

" i 2. more than one. 

1. a or an. 

VII. Use before the name of but one, ' 



3. this. 

4. that. 



K 3. 



the. 

2. *&»<?. 

those. 

IX. Is, w;<zs, and has state abont one. 

.^re, were, and ftaz/e state about more than one. 

f 1. The first letter of a proper name, 
j 2. The initial of a proper name. 
I 3. The word J. 
X. Use a capital for S 4> The ^ginning of a statement. 

5. The initial of Z«£e, county, street, &c, used 
^ with a proper name. 



66 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLiSH. 



XI. Use a period 



XII. Use a comma 



1. After a statement. 

2. After an initial used for a name. 

3. After a name standing alone. 

4. After the last item of an address. 

5. After an item of the address which is written at 

the left. 

1. Between the words of a series. 



2. After every item of an address except the last. 
The word and is generally used before the last word of a series. 

r 1. The name of a person. 

2. The house number, and the name 
of a street. 

3. The name of a city. 

YTTT The address is made tip of X 4 - The name of a state - 

Or, 

1. The name of a person. 

2. The Post-Office station. 

3. The name of a county. 
^ 4. The name of a State. 

1. Usually add s; as, coins, aprons, 
trees. 

2. After sh, x, z, s, ch (soft), and 
the sound of j, add es ; as, 
brushes, foxes, topazes, gases, 
churches, pages. 

3. Change / to v and add es; as, 
leaf, leaves. 

4. Change y (preceded by a conso- 
nant) to i and add es; thus, 
copy, copies. 

5. Change the word ; as, ox, oxen ; 
mouse, mice. 



XIV. To show that a name means 
more than one. 



Note. — 1. If ybe preceded by a vowel, add s ; as, day, days ; valley, valleys ; 
chimney, chimneys. 

2. Deer, sheep, &c. are written in just the same form when they mean more 

than one. 

3. Hose, scissors, ashes, clothes, dec. should not be used ivithout the s. 



THE INQUIRY. 67 



CHAPTEE VIII. 
THE INQUIRY. . 



LESSON I. 
WHAT THE INQUIRY IS, AND HOW IT IS WRITTEN. 

1. Ask a question about, — 

the blackboard, a pencil, the sun, 

the door, a parrot, a city. 

1. A group of words used to ask a question is called an in- 

quiry (in-quir'-y) . 

2. Make an inquiry about : 

a book, your sponge, a bee, 

the clock, school, roses. 

3. Eead these inquiries : — 

(a) When did you come ? 

(b) Is it time to go ? 

Notice the first letter of each inquiry and the mark that is 
placed after each. 

An inquiry is sometimes called an interrogation. 

The ? (question-mark) is called an interrogation-point. 



68 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

n. An inquiry should commence with a capital letter, and be fol- 
lowed by an interrogation-point ; thus, 



Cslu 



<a>w44>d> ifoatzti 



Exercise 1. 

Write an inquiry about, — 

silk, a carpet, an oak-tree, 

New York, a knife, glass, 

school, iron, Victoria. 

Exercise 2. 
An inquiry that can be answered by yes or no is called 
a direct question ; thus, Have you seen him ? 

1. Write a direct question. 

2. Write an inquiry that is not a direct question, and a 

statement that is an answer to it. 

3. Make a period and an interrogation-point. 

4. What is a statement? What is an inquiry? 

5. Use each of these groups of words to make a statement 

and an inquiry: — 

(a) market to has gone John. 
(h) You my seen have dog. 

Exercise 3. 

Correct all the mistakes in this exercise : — 

1. did he go to baltimore 

2. he has been to indianapolis 

3. Have you written to waiter, 



THE INQUIRY. 69 

4. Are you eating a apple. 

5. was philip nolan there 

6. He said that i must go. 

7. The citys was thronged with people. 

8. George Thomas Frank and Harry rode 

9. The books slate pen pencil and sponge was mine: 
10. when will you go with me 

Exercise 4. 

Use each of these words correctly in an inquiry : — 

peel, pair, all, right, meat, 

peal, pear, awl, write, meet. 

Exercise 5. — {Blackboard,) 

See Teacher's Edition. 



LESSON II. 

(a) John, did you do that ? 

(b) Will you keep still, Alice ? 

(c) Where are you going, baby dear? 

(d) Will you, pretty bird, sing me a song ? 

(e) Can you, Madge, write a letter ? 

Development Questions. — 1. Read the above inquiries. 

2. Tell of whom each question is asked. How do you know ? 

3. Ask the questions, and leave out the word or words which show of 
whom each question is asked. 

4. By what mark are those words separated from the inquiry ? 

DI. The word or words which show of whom a question is asked 
should be separated from the inquiry by a comma or 
commas. 



70 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Copy the inquiries on your slate, taking care to use the 
interrogation-points, capitals, and commas correctly. 

Exercise 1. 

Write these inquiries, and use a comma or commas wherever 
needed : — 

1. Mother may I go with you? 

2. Who wrote to you Kate ? 

3. Where little girl do you go to school ? 
4 Did you hite my toes Jack Frost ? 

5. Have you Arthur been absent this week ? 

6. Will you sing me a song Bobolink ? 

7. How long little blossoms have you been gone ? 

8. Caroline may I walk with you ? 

9. Eachel what time is it ? 

10. When will the birds come again mother ? 

Exercise 2. — {Oral.) 

1. Ask a question about, (a) a person; (b) a place; (c) a 

thing ; (cT) a material ; (e) a part of something. 

2. Change these statements to inquiries : — 

It is ten. John was there. 

I am going. This is a statement. 

The birds are singing in the woods. 

3. Use the words in each group to make an inquiry: — 

(a) The, December, are, snows, in, deep. 

(b) Skate, go, me, Wednesday, will, with, you, to, next. 

(c) Bananas, where, grow, do. 

(d) June, do, roses, in bloom. 

(e) Top, seen, have, knife, you, my, new, and. 



the inquiry. 71 

Exercise 3. 

1. Write an inquiry about, — 

sponge, an ostrich, oranges, 

water, a gazelle, cork, 

coral, the United States, snow. 

2. Copy these statements, and draw a short vertical line be- 

tween the first part and second part of each : — 

(a) Eubber is made from the sap of a tree. 

(b) The rubber-tree grows on an island. 

(c) Cork is the outer bark of an oak-tree. 

(d) Many cork-trees grow in Spain, France, and Italy. 

(e) I have lost my lead pencil 

Exercise 4. 

Fill these blanks with is or are ; was or were ; has or have ; 
a or an : — 

1. the clock running? 

2. the children in the yard ? 

3. Did Frank the rake ? 

4- Julia bought inkstand. 

5. the boys sled ? 

6. there bird in the cage ? 

7- the geese and ducks trying to swim ? 

8. you written inquiry ? 

9. that interrogation-point ? 

10. the statements correct ? 

IV*. Is, was, or has inquires about one person, place, or thing. 
A re, were, or have inquires about more than one. 



72 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Caution. — Use are, were, and have with the word you, 
whether it mean one or more than one ; thus, Are you 
going? Were you there? Have you been ill? 

Exercise 5. 

Copy these groups of words : use an ?, a ., a ,, or a capital 
wherever needed ; tell why you use each : — 

1. Are sponge and coral found in the sea 

2. will you walk into my parlor silly fly ? 

3. was the story written by J G S ? 
4 Herbert anderson did you answer, 

5. the cork-tree grows in spain france italy and africa 

Correct these statements, and write each of them as it 
should be: — 

1. Frank and me were late. 

2. These kind are better. 

3. I like those sort of people. 

4. Him and I are going. 

5. They were driving an oxen. 

Exercise 6. 

Ask a question about more tlmn one 

picture, church, calf, deer, 

box, topaz, child, brush, 

dress, penny, woman, ax. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 73 

CHAPTEK IX. 
MOKE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 



LESSON I. 

Preceded by oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

John's slate, a boy's cap, men's boots, 

Davis's patent, boys' caps, children's shoes. 

A word that is a name may be spoken or written so that it will show 
to whom or what a thing belongs ; as, John's, fox's, bird's. 

A word that is used so that it will show to whom or what a thing 
belongs is said to denote possession. 

Development Questions. — 1. Read the names, in the examples, which 
denote possession. 2. Tell how each is written to denote possession. 3. De- 
scribe this mark [']. 

The f'J is called an apostrophe. 

4. Write John, Davis, boy. 5. Look at each word and tell whether it 
means one or more than one. 6. In the examples given, what is added to 
each of these words to make it denote possession ? 7. Write each of them 
so that it will denote possession. 8. How do we write a name that means 
hut one, to make it denote possession ? 

I. To denote possession, an apostrophe and an s {'s) should be 
added to a name that means but one ; * thus, — 

* In writing the words "for conscience' sake," "for justice' sake," "the 
seamstress' sister," and the like, we add the apostrophe only, because it is not 
pleasant to hear so many sounds of s spoken together. 



74 ELEMENTAKY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Mary, Mary's ring, child, a child's teeth, 

the ox, the ox's horn, bird, a bird's wing, 

a spider, a spider's web, girl, the girl's net. 

1. Write these names so that they will denote possession : — 

lady, dog, mouse, Carlo, sheep, 

William, deer, calf, man, Jane. 

2. Write them so that they will mean more than one. 

3. Which of these words mean more than one, and which 

denote possession ? 

lion's, horses, woman's, girl's, 

negroes, squirrel's, women, bakers, 

horse's, pupils, Martha's, boots. 

4. Write five names that mean but one and denote pos- 

session. 



LESSON II. 

Bead these words and tell what each shows : — 

lions, flies, men, calves, farmers, 

foxes, bees, mice, children. hunters. 

A name that means more than one generally ends in s; as, birds, 

fishes, ladies, negroes, calves. 
Sometimes a name that means more than one does not end in s ; as, 

men, mice, oxen, teeth, children. 

II. To a name that means more than one and ends in s, the apos- 
trophe only is added to denote possession ; thus, — 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 75 

lions, lions' claws, bees, bees' honey, 

foxes, foxes' holes, calves, calves' feet, 

flies, flies' wings, farmers, farmers' tools. 

III. To a name that means more than one bnt does not end in s 9 
the apostrophe and s ( 's) are added to denote possession : — 

men, men's clothes, children, children's shoes, 

mice, mice's mischief, oxen, oxen's work. 

Rule. — First write the name that is to denote possession ; 
look at it ; if it means more than one and ends in s, 
add the apostrophe only ; in all other cases * add ('s) the 
apostrophe and s. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Write these words to denote possession : — 

pony, baby, Alfred, Agnes, mother. 

2. Write these words so that any one of them will mean 

more than one : — 

pony, baby, mother, woman, man. 

3. Write them so that they will mean more than one and 

denote possession. 

4. Write each of these correctly on the blackboard : — 

geeses' feathers, a wifes' wish, 

boys' and mens' clothing, flie's feet. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Write these names so that they will denote possession : — 

* See note, page 73. 



76 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



OX, 


negro, 


sister, 


pupil, 


fox, 


man, 


father, 


Margaret, 


girl, 


child, 


teacher, 


Adelia. 



2. Write these names so that they will mean more than one 

and denote possession : — 

ox, teacher, man, fox, sister, 

negro, pupil, child, father, girl. 

3. Write a statement about, — 

a bird's nest, a fly's wing, farmers' houses. 

4 Write an inquiry about, — 

birds' nests, flies' wings, a farmer's house. 

5. Correct the mistakes in the following : — 

(a) The mans' horses ran away. 

(b) Is Marys' slate at home ? 

(c) Two deers' heads were brought in. 

(d) The flie's wings are gauzy. 

(e) Has the bakers' daughter returned? 

Exercise 3. — (Oral.) 

1. Tell which of the names in this exercise mean but one ; 
which mean more than one ; and which denote posses- 
sion : — 

(a) The cat's claws are long, sharp, and curved. 

(b) Conies' nests are built among the rocks. 

(c) Are not a deer's antlers longer than oxen's horns ? 

(d) Mothers' feet are sometimes tired. 

(e) Is "the children's hour" at twilight? 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT NAMES. 77 

2. Tell which groups of words are inquiries, and which are 

statements. 

3. What is a statement, and how should it be written ? 

4. What is an inquiry ? How should an inquiry be written ? 

5. Use these words to make a statement and an inquiry : — 

lesson have Wednesday's you learned. 



LESSON III. 

WORDS USED INSTEAD OF NAMES TO DENOTE POSSESSION. 
See Teacher's Edition. * 

Derelopment Questions. — l. Read the following : — 

My book is lost. Has your book a green cover ? 

That book is mine. Is this book yours ? 

His book is here. Her book has a green cover. 

This book is his. That book is hers. 

Have they found their books ? Where are our books ? 
Those books are theirs. These books are ours. 

The baby wants its mother. The bird built its nest. 

2. Mention the words that are used to denote possession. 3. How many 
of these words are names? 4. Instead of what are these words used? 

5. Mention the word used instead of the name of a boy to denote possession. 

6. The words used instead of the name of a girl to denote possession. 

7. Mention the other words which denote possession, and tell instead of what 
name each word is used. 



78 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

IT. The words my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, their, 
theirs, our, ours, his, and its, are used instead of 
names to denote possession. 

Caution. — There are no such words as bisn, theirn, ourn, 
yourn, and his-self. People who use them mean his, 
theirs, ours, yours, and himself. You should use the 
correct words. 

Exercise 1. 

Fill the blanks with words used instead of names, to denote 
possession: — 

(a) The bird has lost mate. 

(b) Does the baby want mother ? 

(c) The pencils on desk are . 

(d) The books on desks are . 

(e) Are brothers with ? 

Tell when we use, — 

our or ours, your or yours, their or theirs, 

my or mine, her or hers, his, its. 



is, 


was, 


has, 


I, 


are, 


were, 


have, 


yours, 


my, 


mine, 


her, 


his, 


fox's, 


foxes, 


foxes*, 


child's, 


children, 


men, 


men's, 


wings. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 79 



CHAPTER X. 
WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 



LESSON I. 

Preceded by oral lessons on the qualities of objects. — See Teacher's Edition. 

Some words (as white, blue, round, oval, sweet, sour, hard, 
brittle, heavy) are used with the names of objects to express 
the qualities of those objects; thus, 

white paper, The apple was hard and sour. 

blue ink, Glass is brittle. 

a round pebble, The books are heavy. 

an oval figure. Those oranges were sweet. 

Such words are called quality-words. 

1. Mention an object in the room, and speak a word which 

expresses a quality of that object. 

2. Eead the following, and mention the quality- words used : — 
(a) The icicle is cold, smooth, and transparent. 

(6) A fragrant rose and a bitter herb grew by the gate. 

(c) That bread is soft and porous. 

(d) He drew a long, crooked line. 

Exercise 1. — (Oral.) 

1. Use a quality- word that expresses, — 

(a) The color of, — snow, grass, the sky, a strawberry. 

(b) The form of, — a ring, an egg, a ball, a map. 



80 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

(c) The weight of, — iron, cork, wood, air. 

(d) The taste of, — sugar, a lemon, water. 

2. Speak a quality-word, and mention an object which has 

the quality expressed by that word. 

3. Fill the blanks in the following with quality-words which 

express size : — 

(ft) A path led to the cottage. 

(&) The avenue passes the house. 

(c) A tree shades the roof. 

4. Mention something that is, ■ — 

curved, yellow, square, small, tough, 

sharp, round, long, straight, brittle, 

dull, blunt, red, porous, short. 

5. Tell which of the following words are names, and which 

are words that describe the thing named : — 

rosy cheeks, brown hair, dimpled chin, 

blue eyes, sunny face, pretty little mouth. 

Exercise 2. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

1. Tell one quality of each of the following : — 

sponge, rubber, lead, silver, molasses, 

cork, rattan, candy, cloth, whalebone. 

2. Write the word that best expresses that quality. 

3. Use each quality-word to describe something else which 

has the same quality. 

4. Write after each quality- word the name of the thing 

which has the quality expressed. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 81 

5. Use a quality-word to describe, — 

the claws of a cat, the tail of a squirrel, 

the plumage of a bird, the wings of a fly, 

the legs of a horse, the coat of a dog. 

Exercise 3. 

1. Mention a quality-word which expresses a quality the 

opposite of, — 

thick, late, sharp, right, high, 

soft, wide, equal, old, deep, 

cool, smooth, even, large, broad. 

2. Use each of the above quality- words correctly, and write 

them at dictation. 

3. Copy the following quality-words, and write beside each 

a word that expresses the opposite quality : — 

early, narrow, rough, wrong, dull, 

blunt, shallow, light, weak, slender. 

Home Task. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Exercise 4. 

1. Eead the quality- words in the following : — 

a shrill whistle, a soft voice, 

a loud shriek, a faint whisper, 

a plaintive song, a musical bell. 

2. By what sense do we learn the qualities expressed by 

the words loud, shrill, musical ? 



82 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. Use each of the above quality-words to describe a sound 

that you have heard. 

4. Use a quality-word to describe correctly the sound of, — 

a noise, thunder, the wind, a bell, 

music, a drum, laughter, a foot-step. 

5. Use each of the following quality- words to describe cor- 

rectly a sound that you have heard, — 

harsh, clear, sweet, low, sad 

js^ Eeview Lesson L, Chapter V. 






LESSON II. 

THE USE OF THE COMMA BETWEEN QUALITY-WORDS. 

Development Questions, — 1. Read the following statements: — 

Glass is brittle. Glass is hard. 

Glass is smooth. Glass is transparent. 

2. Tell about what each statement is made. 3. R«ad the words which show 
what is stated about glass. What do the words brittle, hard, smooth, and 
transparent express ? What kind of words are they ? Why ? 4. Tell in 
one statement all that is said of glass in the four statements. Write the 
statement and draw a line under each quality-word used ; thus, 

Glass is brittle , hard, smooth , and transparent. 

5. How many quality-words are there in the statement ? What do we call 
three or more words of the same kind following one after the other ? 6. Do 
you think that those quality- words form " a series of words " ? Why 1 
Read the series of words. 7. Of what kind of words is the series made up ? 
Make a statement or an inquiry that contains a series of names. Fill the 
blanks in the following with a series of quality- words : — 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 83 

(a) The fruit was and . 

(b) Gold is and . 

(c) Were the paths and ? 

8. What mark have you learned to use between the words of a series ? Write 
(a), (b), and (c), and use the commas correctly. 

I* Three or more quality-words forming a series should be 
separated by commas ; thus, Cork is light, tough, and 
porous, 

9. What word is generally used after the comma before the last word of a 
series ? Read (a), (b), and (c) with, and without, the word and. Why is the 
word and generally used before the last word of a series ? 

Note. — When the quality-words which make tip a series 
are used before the name of the thing they describe, the 
word and is generally omitted; thus, We dug a large, 
round, deep hole. Was the soft, warm, white wool used ? 

Exercise 1. 

1. Copy the following statements and inquiries, and use the 

comma correctly in each : — 

The canary's song is sweet clear and musical. 
Were the cherries ripe red and juicy ? 
Do you like a long sharp slender pencil ? 
The baby has pretty large bright blue eyes. 
He sold apples oranges grapes and pears. 

2. Draw a line under every word that is a quality-word. 

Use the last quality-word of each series before the 
name of something that has the quality it expresses. 

3. Eead from your slate, (a) a series of words that are 

names ; (b) a word that is the name of but one ; (c) a 
word that is the name of more than one ; (d) a name 



84 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

that denotes possession ; (e) a word that is used instead 
of a name. 

4. Eead the first inquiry. What is an inquiry ? Why is 

were, and not was, used in that inquiry ? 

5. Eead the statement made about the baby. Change the 

statement so that it will be correct to use have instead 
of has. 

Exercise 2. — {Dictation.) 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Exercise 3. 
n. Two quality-words used together should be separated by a 
comma when the word and is not used between them; 
thus, The smooth, transparent glass is hard and 
brittle. 
Fill the blanks in the following with quality-words, and use 
the comma or and correctly : — 

1. He drew a line. 

2. A path led to the cottage. 

3. The bread was . 

4. Ada's ■ face was seen at the window. 

5. Their voices were . 

Exercise 4. 

1. Write the following exercise correctly : — 

is the bread new/ and light/ 8 ?/ 

,/ The fresh crisp crackers are new © 

A A 

e/ We saw streets, parks, stores, and churchs. e/ 

A 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 85 

I. c.j The 0ity is on the Hudson river. 

He/ were/ fife and i was- tall strong and heavy/ ,/ ,/ O 
= A A 

2. Give a reason for each correction made. 



Exercise 5. 

Preceded by oral lessons on qualities of persons and of animals. — See Teacher's Edition. 

1. Use each of these quality- words with the name of an ani- 

mal that has the quality expressed : — 

faithful, strong, mischievous, sly, 

patient, cunning, industrious, active. 

2. Tell two good qualities of, — 

a soldier, a pupil, a doctor, 

an engineer, a servant, a letter-carrier, 

a farmer, a clerk, a house-keeper. 

3. Write the words which express those qualities, and be- 

side each a quality-word that expresses the opposite 
quality. 

Exercise 6. 

Pronounce, use correctly in a statement or inquiry, and 
write at dictation, — 



gentle, 


kind, 


prompt, 


neat, 


patient, 


brave, 


just, 


charitable, 


amiable, 


earnest, 


honest, 


generous, 


obedient, 


studious, 


modest, 


beautiful, 


graceful, 


truthful, 


frugal, 


handsome. 



86 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 7. 

Write the following exercise, and use suitable quality- words 
wherever there is a dash : — 

1. A monkey is and . 

2. The ox works all day. 

3. Were the roses ? 

4. An , man need not want. 

5. Was the soldier , , , and ? 

6. A girl should be and . 

7. Did he hear a , noise ? 

8. My brother is , , and . 

9. AVill the , music disturb you ? 

10. It is . It is . Is it ? 



LESSON III. 

WHEN TO ADD EM AND WHEN TO PREFIX MORE TO A 
QUALITY-WORD. 

Preceded by oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

a long pencil, an easy lesson, 

a longer pencil. an easier lesson. 

a beautiful flower, 

a more beautiful flower. 

A quality-word may be spoken or written so as to show that two 
things have been compared, and that one of them has more 
than the other of the quality expressed ; thus, 

long, easy, beautiful, 

longer. easier. more beautiful. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 87 

1. Speak each of the following quality-words so as to show 

that one of two things has more of the quality expressed 
than the other : — 

sweet, red, wide, heavy, modest, 

small, thin, blue, pretty, industrious. 

To a quality-word of one syllable, and to some quality-words 
of two syllables, we add er to show that one of two ob- 
jects has more than the other of the quality expressed ; 
thus* 

small-er, heavi-er. 

Before most quality-words of two syllables, and before all 
quality-words of more than two syllables, we use the 
word more to show that one of two things has more than 
the other of the quality expressed; thus, 

more modest, more beautiful, more industrious. 

2. Tell how many syllables each of these quality- words has : — 

active, neat, wide, patient, studious, 

bitter, tall, rough, generous, smooth, 

funny, homely, lovely, ugly, witty. 

3. To which of the above quality- words would you add er ? 

4. With which of the above quality-words would you use 

more ? 

Instead of adding er, or using more, we sometimes change 
the quality-word to show that one of two things has 
more than the other of the quality expressed ; thus, 

That is a good pen, but this is a better one. 

* See Note, page 3. 



88 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

5. Use these quality-words correctly : — 

bad or ill ... . worse, little .... less. 

6. Compare any two objects in the room which have the 

same quality ; use the word expressing that quality so 
as to show that one of the two objects has more than 
the other of the quality expressed ; thus, 

The bell is heavy, but the globe is heavier. 

The bell is the smaller of the two. 

He is taller and more slender than John. 

7. Compare two objects that you have seen at home, and 

speak a word that expresses a quality which both have ; 
speak that word so that it will show that one object 
has more than the other of the quality expressed. 

8. Mention two things that are, — 

hard, opaque, brittle, handsome, fragrant, 

clear, porous, blunt, sunny, transparent, 

elastic, tough, careful, little, mischievous. 

9. Use each of the above quality- words so that it will show 

that one of two things has more than the other of the 
quality expressed. 

Exercise. 

1. Use suitable words to express qualities of, — 

paper, a dress, roses, a cat, 

a pen, a house, honey, a mouse, 

a picture, a city, the wind, a bird. 

2. What have you learned about the use of the comma 

between quality-words ? 

3. Mention three ways in which quality-words show that 

one of two things has more than another of the quality 
expressed. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 89 



. LESSON IV. 

WHEN TO ADD EST AND WHEN TO PREFIX MOST TO A 
QUALITY-WORD. 

Preceded by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

a long pencil, an easy lesson, 

a longer pencil, an easier lesson, 

the longest pencil. the easiest lesson. 

a beautiful flower, 

a more beautiful flower, 

the most beautiful flower. 

A quality-word may be spoken or written so that it will show that 
several things have been compared, and that one of them has more 
of the quality expressed than any one of the others; as, longest, 
easiest, most beautiful. 

1. Speak each of these quality-words so that it will show 
that one of several things has more of the quality ex- 
pressed than any one of the others : — 

sweet, red, wide, heavy, modest, 
small, thin, blue, pretty, industrious. 

To a quality-word of one syllable, and to some quality-ivords 
of two syllables, ive add est to show that one of several 
things has more of the quality expressed than any one of 
the others ; thus, 

smallest, heaviest. 

Before most quality-words of two syllables, and before all 
quality-words of more than two syllables, we use the 
word most to show that one of several things has more 



90 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH 

of the quality expressed than any one of the others ; 
thus, 

most modest, most beautiful, most industrious. 

2. Tell how many syllables each of these quality- words has : — 

active, neat, patient, rough, studious, 

bitter, tall, generous, wide, smooth, 

funny, homely, lovely, ugly, witty. 

3. To which of the above quality- words would you add est f 

4. With which of the above quality-words would you use 

most ? 

Instead of adding est, or using most, we sometimes change 

the quality-ivord to show that one of several things has 

more of the quality expressed than any one of the others; 

thus, 

good .... better .... best. 

little .... less least. 

bad or ill . worse .... worst. 

5. Use correctly test, least, and worst, and tell what each 

shows. 

Cautions. — 1. When comparing two things he careful to 
use a quality-ivord tvhich shows that but two things have 
been compared; thus, the longer pencil, the heavier of 
the two, the more beautiful picture, not the longest, 
heaviest, or most beautiful of the two. 
2. Do not always use the same word to describe things; 
as, "a nice man," "a nice ride," "a nice funeral"; 
" an awful day," " an awful distance," " an awful time." 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 91 

Learn as many different words as you can, (a) to express 
the same quality; (b) to ex-press different qualities of the 
same thing. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Mention a quality-word, and speak the names of several 

things which have the quality expressed. 

2. Change the quality-word so that it will show, (a) that one 

of the things has more of that quality than another; 
(b) that one of them has more of the quality expressed 
than any one of the others. 

Exercise 2. 
Use as many suitable quality- words as you can to describe, — 

a tree, snow, ice, water, this day, 

a storm, a parrot, the sea, a mountain, a rose, 
a brook, your slate, a house, a person, a place. 

Exercise 3. 

1. Copy from your Eeader five words that express qualities. 

2. Write after each the name of something which has the 

quality it expresses. 

3. Write each quality- word so that it will show, — 

(a) That one of two things has more than another of 

that quality. 

(b) That one of several things has more of that quality 

than any one of the others. 

4. When do we add er to, or use more before, a quality- 

word? 

5. When do we add est to, or use most before, a quality- 

word ? 



92 elementaey lessons in english. 

Exercise 4. 

1. What is a quality-word ? 

2. When should the comma be used between quality- words ? 

3. Mention something that you saw on your way to school, 

and use a quality- word to describe it. 

4. Correct the following, and give a reason for each correc- 

tion made : — 

most sweetest, littlest, leautifuller, squarest. 

5. Tell what each of these quality-words shows : — 
better, least, easier, tallest, more truthfuL 



LESSON V. 

ABOUT THE SPELLING OF QUALITY-WORDS WHEN ER OR 
EST IS ADDED. 

wide, hot, sly, gray, heavy, 

wider, hotter, slyer, grayer, heavier, 

widest, hottest, slyest, grayest, heaviest. 

m. When er or est is added to a quality- word that ends in e, the 
final e is dropped ; thus, 

wide + er = wid-er. wide + est = wid-est. 

blue + er = blu-er. blue + est = blu-est. 

1. Add er and est to each of the following words, and tell 
how the new words should be spelled : — 
white, lame, pure, safe, nice, 

rare, true, brave, large, loose. 

IV. When a quality-word ends in a consonant with a single rowel 
before it, the consonant is doubled before er or est ; thus, 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS QUALITIES. 93 

hot + er = hot-t-er, hot + est = hot-t-est. 

red + er = red-d-er, red + est = red-d-est. 

2. Add er and est to each of the following words, and tell 
how it should he spelled : — 



thin, sad, wet, dim, big 






V. When a quality-word ends in y haying the sound of l, the 
y is changed to i before er and est ; thus, 

heavy + er = heav-i-er, heavy + est = heav-i-est. 

easy + er = eas-i-er, easy + est = eas-i-est. 

Note. — When the final y is silent or has the sound of l 
the y is not changed before er and est ; t thus, 

gray + er = gray-er, gray + est = gray-est, 

sly + er = sly-er sly + est = sly-est. 

3. Add er and est to each of the following words, and tell 

how it should be spelled : — 

lazy, funny, ugly, merry, busy. 

4. Give the sound of final y in each of the following quality- 

words; add er and est to each; tell how each should 
be spelled, and why : — 

early, rosy, shy, gay, lovely. 



* The words slow, low, etc. end in a silent consonant preceded by a single 
vowel, and the consonant is not doubled. 

t The word dry is an exception to the rule, and changes y to i before er and 
est; thus, dry, drier, driest. 



tough, 


generous, 


hard, 


juicy, 


dry, 


gray, 


sly, 


charitable. 



94 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Pronounce these quality-words : — 

quiet, patient, filthy, 

slow, brave, spicy, 

good, glad, shady, 

narrow, bad, gentle, 

2. Use each of them correctly before the name of something 

which has the quality expressed. 

3. Speak the first ten of them so that each will show that 

one of two things has more of that quality than 

another. 
4 Speak each of the last ten so that it will show that one of 

several things has more of the quality expressed than 

any other. 
5. Tell how the words to which you added er and est should 

be spelled. 

Exercise 2. 

Use a quality-word which correctly describes, — 

a sound, a book, the weather, ink, a fish, 

the sun, a hat, bread, paper, a dog, 

a lesson, a star, an ocean, a pear, a child 

Home Task. 

Find out as many qualities of one object as you can, and 
write the words which best express those qualities. 

A THOROUGH REVIEW AND APPLICATION. 

For plan of conducting, see Teacher's Edition. 



THE COMMAND. 95 



CHAPTEE XL 
THE COMMAND. 



LESSON I. 

Preceded by oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Read the following groups of words, and tell for what 
each is used: — 

Study your lessons. Close the door. 

Bring me the books. Please ask for a letter. 

I. A group of words that requests, or orders, something to be 
done, is a command. 

2. How should a command be written ? 

II. A command should begin with a capital letter, and be followed 
by a period; thus, — 



SIMM d/^e^z^ -a^noe*. 

Exercise 1. 

Tell which of these groups of words are statements, which 
are inquiries, and which are commands : — 

1. Can you count the stars ? 

2. Follow the same path. 



96 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. George Washington was our first President 

4. Obey your parents. 

5. Do not whisper. 

6. How often is the cork-tree robbed of its thick bark ? 

7. The bark is taken from the cork-tree every eighth year. 

8. Please remember to look for it. 

9. May I go with yon? 
10. Stay here and study. 

Copy the commands on your slate. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Copy I and II, Chapters II., VIII, and XI. 

2. Write a statement, an inquiry, and two commands. 



LESSON II. 

Stay here, brother John, and study. 
Follow the same path, Mary. 
Children, obey your parents. 

Development Questions. — 1. To whom is each of the above commands 
given ? How do you know ? 2. Read each command, and leave out the word 
or words which show to whom the command is given. 3. By what marks are 
those words separated from the commands ? 

III. The word or words which show to whom a command is given, 
or of whom a request is made, should be separated from 
the command by a comma or commas. 



the command. 97 

Exercise 1. 

Use commas wherever needed in the following commands : — 

1. Little children love one another. 

2. Do not touch the nest Harry. 

3. Hold fast Alice to all I give yon. 

4. Come pretty bird and live with me. 

5. Show me your nest Bobolink. 

6. Philip please look at me. 

7. Sleep a little longer baby. 

8. Sing your best song Canary before I go. 

9. Tell me your full name Sarah. 
10. Santa Claus do not forget Bertha. 

Exercise 2. — (Oral.) 
Arrange these words as commands : — 

1. Walk, not, please, do, mother, fast, so. 

2. The, while, shines, sun, make, hay. 

3. Me, for, wait, Bachel. 

4. Truth, always, the, without, speak, fear. 

5. Leap, look, you, before. 

Use these words in statements : — 

1. Elephant, tusk, ivory. 

2. Swallows, barn, eaves. 

3. Leaves, green, summer. 

4. Forests, parrots, South America.- 

5. Peacock, plumage, brilliant. 

Use these words in inquiries : — 

1. Your, lesson, learned. 

2. Elephant, trunk, use. 



98 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. Are, blossoms, trees. 

4. Have, caught, fish. 

5. Did, ball, play, recess. 

Exercise 3. — {Blackboard.) 

Copy this exercise and use a . , a , , an % , and a capital 
wherever needed. Give a reason for using each. 

1. where have you been margaret 

2. sit in the sunshine Clara and study 

3. the reindeer lives in cold countries 

4. tell me boys for what the reindeer is useful 

5. is the reindeer more useful than a horse 

6. the flesh the milk and the fur are useful 

7. can the reindeer draw the sled of his master 

8. be kind to the reindeer, driver 

9. what does the reindeer find to eat 

10. the reindeer feeds on moss that grows under the snow. 

Exercise 4. 
1. Pronounce and write at dictation, — 



prom-ise, 


sword, 


be-side, 


in-stead, 


even-ing, 


be-neath, 


um-brel-la, 


soft-en, 


scarce-ly, 


to-wards, 


fol-low, 


e-nough, 


hum-ble, 


al-ways, 


win-dow. 



2. Use correctly to mark the vowels in the above,— 

- the macron, •• the di-aer-e-sis, 

w the breve, a the circumflex accent.* 

* See Appendix to Part L, page 187. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS ACTION. 99 



CHAPTEK XII. 
WORDS THAT EXPRESS ACTION. 



LESSON I. 

WHAT AN ACTION-WORD IS. 
Preceded by oral lessons indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Supply words which tell what the following do : 
The cat . A bird . The wind - 



The dog . Stars . A mouse . 

A horse . A fire — — . The cars . 

2. Tell who or what, — 

laughed. climbs. were crying. 

run and jump. crouches. was creeping. 

is reciting. chirp. flows. 



Some words express action; as, laughed, climbs, crying. 

3. Eead the following, and mention the words which express 
action : — 

His mother smiled. Walking tires the child. 

The baby is crying. He shot & flying hawk. 

Skating is a winter sport. Amy sews neatly. 

I, A word that expresses action is an ocMon-word. 



100 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

4 Fill the blanks in the following with action-words : — 

(a) The fire the room, (a) The baby and . 

(b) It the ice. (b) Clara bought a doll. 

(c) It the wood. (c) He the ball. 

(d) It the bread. (d) is forbidden. 

(e) It the clothes. (e) is a dangerous sport. 

5. What is an action-word ? Copy five action-words from 
your Header ; use two of them in inquiries, two in 
statements, and one in a command. 

Exercise 1. 

See Teacher's Edition. 



LESSON II. 

HOW AN ACTION-WORD MAY BE USED. 

Preceded by oral lessons indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Mention the action-words in the following, and tell for 

what each is used : — 

prancing steeds, a blazing fire, 

falling leaves, a flowing stream. 

2. How may an action-word be used ? 

n. An action-word may be used before a name to describe wliat 
is named ; thus, 

the purring kitten, a tolling bell. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS ACTION. 101 

3. Use each of the following action-words before a name to 

describe what is named : — 

dancing, waving, ringing, roaring, crying, 

cooking, writing, crouching, riding, drawing. 

4. Use as many different action-words as you can to de- 

scribe, — 

a stream, waves, a flag, the snow, 

a storm, the wind, a child, a horse. 

5. Name something, and use a word that expresses action to 

describe it. 

6. In what other way may an action- word be used? 

HI. An action-word may be used in the first part of a statement 
to show about what the statement is made ; thus, 

Coasting | is very dangerous. 
Hunting | is their chief occupation. 

7. Say something about, — 

walking, skating, riding, cooking, rowing, 

writing, singing, sewing, swimming, fishing. 

8. Write five of your statements, and draw a line between 

the first part and second part of each. 

9. Draw a line under the action-words in your statements, 

and tell how each is used. 

10. Mention two other ways in which an action-word may 

be used. 

IV. An action- word may be used to state or -to show what is 
stated; thus, 

The children | write, They | are writing. 



102 ELEMENTAEY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

11. Tell how each action-word in the following statements is 

used : — 

Boys row and swim. The children write. 

Fred is vjhistling. They were writing. 

Albert catches the ball. Mary comes and goes. 

12. Write three statements, and use in each an action- word 

that states something. 

13. Write two statements, and use in each an action-word 

that merely shows what is stated. 

Exercise 1. 
Mention each action-word in the following, and tell for 
what it is used: — 

1. The neighing horse is lonely. 

2. A screaming eagle caught a flying hawk. 

3. Did the bounding ball strike the barking dog? 

4. She cooks, and sweeps, and sews. 

5. He was throwing and catching the balL 

6. The rolling waves came on. 

7. Coming and going take time. 

8. Did he see a trotting horse? 

9. Sweeping and dusting kept her busy. 
10. Giving is good for the heart. 

Exercise 2. 
Copy the following groups of words, and fill the blanks 
with words which express action: — 

1. The daughters to school. 

2. They the rope and we balL 

3. Was Duncan the horse ? 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS ACTION. 103 



4. A dog never . 

5. Do not get on or off a train. 

6. - is a pleasant employment. 

7. and are necessary work. 

8. machines were and 



9. Eobinson Crusoe a bird. 

10. The two little boys . 

W^ Eeview Lesson V., Chapter II., page 18. 



LESSON III. 
ABOUT ADDING S OR ES TO ACTION-WORDS. 

Introduced by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Tell for what each action- word is used in the statements, — 

Men work A man works. 

Birds fly. The bird flies. 

Children laugh. A child laughs. 

2. Mention each action-word used in the above, and tell 

whether it states about one or more than one. 

An action-word may state what one thing does ; as, 

A leaf fades. The baby cries. Mary guesses. 

An action-word may state what two, or more than two, do ; as, 

Leaves fade. Mary and Jane guess. The babies cry. 

3. Make a statement in which you use an action- word that 

states what only one does. 



104 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

4. Change your statement so that the action-word will state 

what two, or more than two, do. 

5. Tell what,— 

walk, swim, study, 

go, bark, fall, 

try, sneeze, wave. 

6. What changes would you make in the statements just 

formed, so that each would be correct and yet state 
what only one does ? 

We add s or es to a name to show that it means more than one ; thns, 
one vine, one dish, one duty, one thief, 

several vines, two dishes, many duties, forty thiei-es. 

Y. We add s or es to an action- word when it states what but one 
thing does ; thus, 

several build, many carry, two go, six push, 

one builds, one cames, one goes, one pushes. 

Caution. — When an action-word is used with I or you to 
state what ons does, neither s nor es should be added ; 
thus, I walk, not I walks ; You wish, not You wishes.* 

Exercise 1. — (Oral.) 

1. What does s or es show when added to a name ? 

2. When do we add s or es to an action- word ? 

3. Fill each blank in the following with an action-word 

which states what but one does : — 

The bell early. My friend every Tuesday. 

The rose in June. The kitten mice. 

That lady and . An industrious man . 

* See Caution, page 25. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS ACTION. 



105 



4. Change the statements just formed so that each will state 

about more than one. 

5. Eead, — 



I write, 
You write, 



He writes, 
She writes, 



We write, 
They write. 



and tell in each case why s is, or is not, added to the 
action-word. 
6. Correct, — 

(a) Judith and Amy goes to school. 
(&) The children studies diligently. 

(c) You hears what I says. 

(d) Straws shows which way the wind blows. 

(e) The molasses cover my plate. 

Caution. — Never add s or es to an action-word that states 
about more than one. 

Exercise 2. 



State who or 


what, — 








flows, 


copies, 


prays, 


pinches, 


roars, 


burn, 


goes, 


watch, 


mixes, 


employs, 


see, 


come, 


lodges, 


flash, 


travel, 


replies, 


suffer, 


bites, 


dance, 


toil. 



Exercise 3. 

1. Speak the following names, so that each will mean more 
than one ; tell what change you would make in writing 
each, and give the rule for spelling it, — 

cloud, wish, six, breeze, dress, 

sponge, arch, wolf, lady, valley. 



106 ELEMENTAEY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

VI. The rules for spelling action-words which state what but one 
thing does, are like the rules for spelling names that mean 
more than one;* thus, 

(a) To most action- words add s only ; thus, see-s, build-s. 
(&) To go and do add es; thus, go-es, do-es. 

(c) To action-words which end in s, z, oc, ch (soft), s7i f or the 

sound of J, add es; thus, bless-es, buzz-es, flx-es, catches, 
rush-es lodg-es.f 

(d) TYhen an action- word ends in y preceded by a consonant, 

change the y to i and add es ; thus, carr-y, carr-ies ; den-y, 
den-ies. 

(e) When an action- word ends in y preceded by a vowel, add s 

only ; thus, play, play-s ; enjoy, enjoy-s. 

2. Speak and write each of these action- words as yon wonld 

use it to state what but one thing does : — 

"bend, reply, toss, grudge, itch, do, 

grow, employ, brush, march, fix, blaze. 

3. To which action-words do we add s only ? To which ac- 

tion-words do we add es ? 

4. Use each of the following words in a statement, (a) as the 

name of more than one; (b) as an action- word that states 
what but one does : — 

stones, flies, kisses, wedges, studies, 

watches, rings, shoes, brushes, skates. 

* See XIV., page 66. 

■f When an action--\vord ends in silent e the final e is dropped before es ; thus, 
lodge + es = lodg-es ; rise + es = ris-es. 



words that express action. 107 

Exercise 4. 

Use proper action- words to state what the following do : — 

The rain, He, A miller, Trees, 

Smoke, We, Merchants, Dogs, 

Horses, They, Pupils, You. 



QUESTIONS EOE EEYIEW. 
A. — Oral. 

1. What is an inquiry ? A statement ? A command ? A 

direct question ? An apostrophe ? A quality- word ? 
An action- word ? 

2. Name an object in the room, and speak the words which 

express its qualities. 

3. Tell what these words denote : — 

John's, hoys', children's, yours, their. 

4. Tell what each of these words expresses, and what it 

shows : — 

good, better, best, 

short, shorter, shortest, 

delicate, more delicate, most delicate. 

5. Name something, and use an action-word to describe it. 

6. Use an action- word, (a) as the first part of a statement, 

(b) to state what but one does, (c) to state what two, or 
more than two, do, (d) to show what is stated. 

7. What change does it make in the meaning of a statement, 

(a) to take s or es from the action-word and add it to 



108 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

the name ? (b) to cut off s or es from the name, and join 
it to the action-word ? 

8. When should you add only the apostrophe [ ' ] to denote 

possession ? When should you add 's ? 

9. Speak five words which express qualities learned, (a) by 

hearing, (b) by seeing, (c) by touching, (d) by tasting, 
(e) by smelling. 
10. Correct, and give the reason for each correction : — 

(a) Has Rufus and Martha been here ? 

(b) Was the children at the well? 

(c) Is Louise and Maria coming home? 

(d) He took hisn, his-self. 

(e) This is the squarest and beautifullest figure. 
(/) Our kites lodges and gets ruined. 

B. — Written. 

1. Write an inquiry, and a statement that is an answer 

to it. 

2. Write the name of the mark used after an inquiry. 

3. Write a command, (a) that orders something to be done, 

(b) that requests something. 

4. Copy, and use the comma correctly in each : — 

Come up Whitefoot. 

My dear daughter are you ill ? 

The moon is a large opaque body. 

He was brave truthful modest and sincere. 

5. Add er and est, or prefix more and most to, — 

sharp, big, merry, gay, dishonest, 

blue, dry, shy, fragile, truthful. 



WORDS THAT EXPRESS ACTION. 109 

6. Write each of trie following action- words as you would 

use it to state what but one does : — 

go, pass, freeze, thresh, cry, 

run, tax, clutch, dodge, stay. 

7. Write each of these names, (a) to mean more than one, 

(b) to mean but one and denote possession, (c) to mean 
more than one and denote possession : — 

boy, child, sheep, wolf, mouse, 

ox, church, lady, parrot, city. 

8. Copy the following, and fill the blanks with words used 

instead of names : — 

(a) am going with sister. 

(b) found slate. 

(c) Have seen friends ? 

(d) have lost books and have found . 

(e) It wants mother. 

9. Write, (a) a statement in which you use a series of 

quality-words, (b) an inquiry in which you use a series 
of names, (c) a command in which you use a name, a 
quality-word, and an action-word. 
10. Fill the blanks in the following with action- words, and 
tell for what each is used : — 

— — is the first exercise. 

They were in the park. 

Watch the ball. 

The earth . 

The sun and stars . 



110 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
WORDS THAT SHOW HOW, WHEN, OR WHEBE. 



LESSON I. 
WORDS THAT SHOW HOW AN ACTION IS PERFORMED. 

Introduced by oral exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

Development Questions. — 1. Copy the following statement : — 

Eagles fly swiftly. 

2. Read the first part of the statement. What does the first part of a state- 
ment show ? What does the second part of a statement show ? 3. Which 
word states what eagles do ? What does the word fly express in this state- 
ment ? 4. What does the word swiftly show ? 

I. A word may be used to show how an action is performed. 

1. In each of the following, mention the word which ex- 

presses action, and tell which word shows how the 
action is performed : — 

(a) Herman walks fast. (c) He speaks distinctly. 

(5) Lucy writes well. (d) She sews neatly. 

2. In the following, fill the blanks with words used to show 

how actions are performed : — 

(a) The man works . (c) The boys walk . 

(b) Amelia writes . (d) They study . 

Words that show how an action is performed generally end in ly. 



WORDS THAT SHOW HOW, WHEN, OR WHERE. Ill 

Exercise 1. 

Use in statements, commands, or inquiries, — 

neatly, hastily, plainly, skilfully, fast, 

truly, carelessly, firmly, noiselessly, well, 

quickly, wisely, beautifully, easily, quietly. 

Home Task. 

Observe the actions of persons and things that you see, and 
try to use with the word that expresses each action a 
word that shows how that action is performed. 

Exercise 2. 

Use ten words that express action, and with each a word 
that shows how the action is performed ; thus, move 
quietly, eats greedily, playing boisterously. 

Cautions. — 1. Do not use a quality-word to show hoiv an 
action is performed; as, She writes good, for She writes 
well ; He studies diligent, for He studies diligently. 

2. Do not use a word that shows how an action is performed 
when you need merely to express a quality; as. She 
looks prettily, for She looks (is) pretty ; He is nicety, 
for He is well. 

Exercise 3. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

ft^T* Eeview Lesson I., Chapter V., page 40, and Lesson H., Chap- 
ter X., page 82. 



112 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

LESSON II. 
ANOTHER USE OF THE COMMA. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

The snow falls slowly, silently. 

Does he speak promptly and distinctly? 

Struggle bravely, patiently, and hopefully. 

1. Bead the above groups of words ; in each, mention the 

words which show how an action is performed ; notice 
the commas used ; see if you can tell why each comma 
is used. 

2. In the' above, mention two words not separated by a 

comma which show how an actiou is performed. What 
is used between them ? 

II. Words used to show how an action is performed shonld be sep- 
arated by a comma, nnless the word and be used between 
them. 

Note. — The word and is sometimes used after the comma 
before the last word of a series of words that show how 
an action is performed. 

Exercise 1. 

Copy the following; draw a line under each word which 
shows how an action is performed ; and insert a comma 
wherever one should have been used : — 

1. He is working neatly skilfully swiftly. 

2. Will they act justly wisely and generously ? 

3. Gather violets lilies crocuses and bluebells. 



WORDS THAT SHOW HOW, WHEN, OR WHERE. 113 

4. We want a neat patient and quick workman. 

5. Charles Henry Mitchell 

278 Vermont Avenue 
Utopia 

Oregon. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Copy from your Keader, or a story-book, five words which 

show how actions are performed. 

2. Use in a statement, inquiry, or command one or more 

words that show how an action is performed. 

3. In the following, supply words which show how actions 

are performed, and insert commas where they should be 
used : — 

(a) The good lady spoke and to him. 

(b) They treated us and . 

(c) The horses ran . 



(d) Study and . 

(e) We play and and work 



LESSON III. 

WORDS THAT SHOW WHEN OR WHERE AN ACTION IS 
PERFORMED. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

They go often. We ride occasionally. 

You came early. Go now and return to-morrow. 

in, A word may be used to show when an action is performed. 

8 



114 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

1. Use correctly, to show when an action is performed, — 

then, rarely, late, to-day, seldom, 

again, soon, presently, always, already. 

2. In the following, mention each action- word with the word 

that shows the time of the action : — 

(a) The paper is published daily. 

(b) Is the magazine issued monthly ? 

(c) Leave the room instantly. 

(d) I learned lately that he never saw you. 

(e) Hereafter, we will write frequently. 

3. Use in a statement, inquiry, or command a word that 

shows when an action is performed. 

4. What do the words here, there, away, and everywhere show 

in,— 

We are sitting here. The bird flew avmy. 

You are standing there. The sun shines everywhere. 

IV. A. word may be used to show where an action is performed. 

• 5. In the following, mention each action-word, and with it 
the word that shows the place of the action : — 

(a) Did he walk around ? 

(b) We saw him running yonder. 

(c) Come hither. 

(d) They were standing together. 

(e) Watch the people passing by. 

6. Use in a statement, inquiry, or command a word that 
shows where an action is performed. 



WORDS THAT SHOW HOW, WHEN, OR WHERE. 115 

Exercise 1. 

Copy the following, and draw a line under every word that 
shows how, when, or where an action is performed : — 

1. Meanwhile they wait here patiently. 

2. Does the water flow above continually? 

3. Do not play there to-day. 

4. Has he gone below already? 

5. The birds are still singing yonder. 

6. Does he write legibly now ? 

7. Always speak distinctly and truthfully. 

8. Shall you go there often ? 

9. He rode by gracefully yesterday. 

10. The wind blows gently everywhere to-day. 

Exercise 2. 

(where ?) (when ?) 



1. The hunter shot the rabbit 

(how ?) (when ?) 

2. Go with him . 



(where ?) (how ?) (when ?) 

3. Did they meet ? 

(how?) (when?) 

4. Their youngest child died . 

(how?) (when?) (how?) 

5. They speak and we can hear -. 

Exercise 3. 

See Teacher's Edition. 



116 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 
EMOTION- WORDS AND THE EXCLAMATION. 



LESSON I. 

EMOTION-WORDS AND THE EXCLAMATION-POINT. 
Preceded by oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

Hurrah ! Pshaw ! Hark ! 

Oh ! Ah ! Welcome ! 

Look ! Good ! Alas ! 

Surprise, joy, sorrow, disappointment, contempt, fear, and feelings 

like these, are called emotions. 
A word that expresses emotion maybe called an emotion-word; 

as, Eejoice ! Woe ! Help ! 
Sometimes two or more words are used to express an emotion ; as, 

Oh dear ! Poor old man ! My long lost friend ! 
I. An exclamation-point [!] should be placed after a word or 

words used to express emotion ; thus, Woe I Woe is me ! 
n. When the letter is used to express emotion, it should be a 
capital, and a comma should be placed after it 5 thus, — 

Exercise 1. 
Fill the blanks in the following with a word or words used 
to express emotion : — 



EMOTION-WORDS AND THE EXCLAMATION. 117 

1. I hear some one coming. 

2. we are too late to save him. 

3. are you there ? 

4. But , I cannot go ! 

5. He will forget your kindness. 

In the following, copy the words used to express emotion : — 

1. 0, look! here is the nest. 

2. Poor bird! I wonder where she is. 

3. Pshaw ! my pen is broken. 
4 Hark! did the bell ring? 
5. Ah me! I cannot go. 



LESSON II. 
THE EXCLAMATION, AND HOW IT IS WRITTEN. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

1. Speak each of the following groups of words so that it will 

express emotion : — 

(a) How happy we shall be ! 

(b) 0, he is a cruel boy! 

(c) How could I help it! 

(d) What a cold day it is! 

(e) There he goes! Do look at him! 

Ill, A group of words that expresses emotion is called an excla- 
mation. 

2. Copy two exclamations from your Eeader, and tell what 

emotion each expresses. 



118 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. Speak or write an exclamation. 

4. How should an exclamation be written ? 

IT, An exclamation should be commenced with a capital letter 
and followed by an exclamation-point ; thus, — 

He is dead ! What could I do ! Listen to me ! 

5. Write two emotion words. 

6. Write two exclamations. 

7. Make these marks, and write the name of each : — 

A > ! ? ' a a 

Note. — The ? was first written g from the first and last 

o 

letter of Quaestio, which means question. 
The ! was first written I from the word Io, which ex- 
presses joy. 
Through carelessness the 2 has become ? and the I has 

o o 

become ! . You must take care not to confuse them. 
Always use the ? after an inquiry, and the ! after an 
exclamation. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Make exclamations of these words : — 

(a) Paper, here 's, morning, your. 

(b) The, blow, hark, hear, wind. 

(c) Polly, a, poor, wants, Polly, cracker. 

(d) Me, alone, please, let. 

(e) Strike, the, did, clock. 

2. Copy the emotion-words and exclamations found in this 

exercise : — 

(a) Hey, Willie Winkle ! are you coming there ? 



EMOTION-WORDS AND THE EXCLAMATION. 119 

(b) We saw the sun rise ! 

(c) Hush! my babe, lie still and slumber. 

(d) Look at me, Philip ! 

(e) Who would ever have believed it ! 

3. Write a statement, an inquiry, and a command. 

4. Draw one line under the words in your statement that 

show about what the statement is made, and two lines 
under the words which show what is stated. 

Exercise 2. — (Dictation.) 

Exercise 3. — (Review.) 
Write : — 

1. Your initials and your address. 

2. A statement about yourself. 

3. An inquiry in which you use are, were, or have. 

4. A statement in which you use a series of words. 

5. The name of, (a) a person, (b) a place, (c) a thing, (d) a 

material, (e) a part of something. 

6. A proper name and a common name. 

7. A name that means more than one, and denotes posses- 

sion. 

8. A command in which you use the name of the one 

commanded. 

9. An action-word, a quality- word, and an emotion-word. 
10. An exclamation in which you use a word that shows 

how an action is performed. 



120 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



CHAPTEE XV. 
MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 



LESSON I. 

Preceded by exercise indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

A word may be made up of two or more words ; as, sail-boat, brother- 
in-law. 
A word made up of two or more words is called a compound word. 

1. Tell of what words each of these compound words is 

made up : — 

light-house, mother-in-law, cork-tree. 

The little mark (-) placed between the parts of a compound word is 
called a hyphen. 

2. Describe a hyphen. Tell the name and use of the little 

mark in these cases : — 

a, 8 — 4, saw-mill. 

3. How can you tell the hyphen from the dash ? 

4. Find in your Beader, and copy, two compound words. 

5. Make as many compound words as you can from, — 

ice, top, boat, 

maker, sail, house. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 121 

Notes. — 1. Wlien a compound word is used very much, the 
hyphen is dropped ; as, upon, workman, fireside. 

2. In oral spelling and in reading words from your slate 
mention the hyphen as if it were a word or letter ; thus, 
sail-boat (hyphen), or s-a-i-1 hyphen b-o-a-t, sail-boat. 

Exercise 1. 

In the following, mention each compound word ; tell of what 
words it is made up ; tell what it means ; and spell it 
orally, so that there could he no mistake in writing 
it: — 

1. " An Owl and a Pussy-cat went to sea, 

In a beautiful pea-green boat." 

2. Jack-Frost wears a three-cornered hat. 

3. The shoemaker's watch is a good time-keeper. 

4. Your well-bred sailor was sea-sick before breakfast. 

5. Make believe that you are a run-away. 

6. Copy the blue-bells and draw a four-sided figure. 

7. Is the carving-knife on the table ? 

8. Welcome to our old-fashioned fireside ! 
8. By moonlight it is sea-green. 

10. It was a heart-breaking separation ! 

Exercise 2. 

1. Bead these words, and tell what kind of a word each is: — 

rainbow, milk-white, overlook, 

washtub, clear-toned, heart-rending, 

grandfather, dark-eyed, whitewash, 

gentleman, rosy-cheeked, withdraw. 



122 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

2. Use each quality-word in the above list before the name 

of something which has the quality it expresses. 

3. Use the action- words in statements or commands. 

4. Use the names in exclamations or inquiries. 

5. Mention a compound word that you have seen or heard ; 

tell of what words it is made up, and how it should be 
written. 



LESSON II. 
WORDS WHICH SHOW POSITION OR RELATION. 

Preceded by oral lessons indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

Words like here, there, yonder, show just where an object is, or an 
action is performed; thus, The booh is here. The slate is 
there. They are playing yonder. 
Some words (as, by, in, through, over) show the position of an 
object or action with regard to something else ; thus, 
The chair is by the stove. A horse ran through the lane. 

The pencils are in the box. He is running over the bridge. 

1. Mention the objects, or actions, whose position with 

regard to something else is shown in the following : — 

that box beside the door, singing at the concert, 

a stool under the table, looking toward the sunset, 

the rope around the bundle, walked across the street, 

two pictures in the book, rode into the country, 

the young lambs with the sheep, slides down the hilL 

2. Mention the words which, in the above, show the place, or 

position, of objects or actions with regard to something 
else. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 123 

A word which shows the place, or position, of one thing with regard to 
another, is said to show the relation of one thing to another. 

3. In the following, mention the words which show the 

relation, (a) of one object to another, (b) of an action to 
an object : — 

at on 

by near 

A child behind the door. Standing under the bridge, 
before beyond 

beside above 

I. A word which shows the relation of one thing to another is a 
relation-word. 

4. Learn to pronounce, spell, write at dictation, and use cor- 

rectly, the following relation- words : — 

above, before, between, out of, toward, 

among, below, in, over, with, 

around, beneath, into, through, under, 

at, beside, on, to, upon. 

5. What is a relation- word ? Mention a few relation-words. 

6. Use suitable relation-words to show, — 

(a) the position of one object with regard to another, 
(6) the relation of an action to an object. 



124 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



LESSON 


III. 




See Teacher's Edition. 




Learn to pronounce, spell, write at dictation, and use 


rectly the following : — 






NAMES GIVEN TO 


NAMES GIVEN TO 


MEN OR BOYS. 


WOMEN OR GIRLS. 


father, 




mother. 


husband, 




wife. 


son, 




daughter. 


brother, 




sister. 


grandfather, 




grandmother. 


grandson, 




granddaughter. 


uncle, 




aunt. 


nephew, 




niece. 


bachelor, 




maid or spinster. 


bridegroom, 




bride. 


widower, 




widow. 


gentleman, 




lady. 


sir, 




madam. 


landlord, 




landlady. 


man-servant, 




maid-servant. 


actor, 




actress. 


host, 




hostess. 


hero, 




heroine. 


prophet, 




prophetess. 


wizard, 




witch. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 125 

LESSON IV. 

To be studied with the Teacher. 

1. As you read the following statements, — 

(a) Separate each statement into its two parts ; 

(b) Mention the word that states in each statement; 

(c) Tell which words express action; 

(d) Tell when the action is, or was, performed: — 

I go now. I come now. 

I went yesterday. I came yesterday. 

I have gone often. I have come often. 

I had gone then. I had come then. 

I do this now. I see that now. 

I did this yesterday. I saiv that yesterday. 

I have done this often. I have seen that often. 

I had done this then. I had seen that then. 

2. Use the action-words in the above, and fill the blanks 

in the following correctly : — 

I that to-day. I at the time. 

I it recently. I a while ago. 

I this frequently. I frequently. 

I that before. I every day. 

3. Use as the first part of each of the above statements : — 

We, You, They, The people. 

He, It, She, A person.* 

* Remember that after any word (except / or you) which means but one, have 
should be changed to has, and s, or es, should be added to an action- word that 
states. 



126 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

4. Correct, — 

I seen the boy. I have went. He has saw. 

I done the work. We had came. It was did. 

Cautions. — 1. Came, went, did, and saw should never be 
used with has, have, had, was, or were 
2. Done, seen, and gone should never be used icithout has, 
have, had, was, were, or some ivord that states, 

5. Correct, — 

(a) He would have went with you. 

(b) They seen the danger. 

(c) I done it before you came. 

(d) We have saw that you done welL 

(e) He had come before it was did. 

Exercise 1. 

saw, went, seen, heated, 

did, came, done, climbed.* 

Use one of the above words correctly wherever there is a 
dash in the following : — 

1. They have the young birds. 

2. We the mother bird too. 

3. The things were when you . 

4. He his work well. 

5. Gertrude and Winifred before I . 

6. The man the iron before he the ladder. 

7. James has the sea-gulls. 



* There are no such words as het and dumb, sometimes used for heated and 
climbed. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 127 

8. Mary and Scott a shark. 

9. The sailor the mast, and not fall. 

10. Sarah was gone when Ellen . 

Exercise 2. 

Use correctly in a statement, — 

go, see, do, come, 

went, saw, did, came, 

have gone, has seen, had done, have come. 

Exercise 3. 

Preceded by oral lesson indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

Use correctly sit, set, lie, lay, rise, or raise, wherever there is a 
dash in the following : — 

1. They under the trees. 

2. the things on the table. 

3. Planters cotton and tobacco. 

4. Shall you early ? 

5. the rug on the grass, and in the sunshine. 

6. Fog and smoke higher than this. 

7. When the water rises will it the boats ? 

8. here and your head on the cushion. 

9. Now I me down to sleep. 

10. He himself down in the chair. 

11. The nurse the child on the floor. 

12. They the hens on duck's eggs. 

13. The hens on the eggs. 

14. by me, and do not until you are rested. 

15. Will the cat in front of the fire ? 

16. the ball on the carpet before her. 

17. on the couch, and I will this robe over you. 



128 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

18. We our garments by, and down to pleasant 

dreams. 

19. the curtain and let us see the sun . 

20. that out of the way, and you can nearer 

the window. 

Note. — In the above exercise the word put will make good 
sense wherever set or lay has been correctly used. Ex- 
cept in speaking of vegetable products, the word lift will 
usually make good sense when the word raise is correctly 
used. 

Exercise 4. — (Oral.) 

Tell what each of the following means, and use each cor- 
rectly in a statement, inquiry, command, or exclama- 
tion : — 

sit, lie, rise, hero, bridegroom, 

set, lay, raise, heroine, bride, 

return, advance, continue. 

Caution. — Do not say (i rise up" u return back" " advance 
forward" or " continue on"; for rise means get up, re- 
turn means turn back, advance means go forward, and 
continue means go on. 

Exercise 5. — (Oral.) 
sit, lie, rise, set, lay, raise. 

In the following, fill each blank correctly with one of the 
above words : — 

means take a seat, or occupy a seat ; thus, — 

and rest. I by the window. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 129 

means put, or fix, (something) in place ; thus, — 

the pitcher on the table. 

The stone was by a jeweler. 

means recline (on a bed, couch, or other resting-place), 

or occupy a fixed position ; as, — 

here and rest. I will on the lounge. 

The islands outside the harbor. 

means put (something) down ; thus, — 

the book on the table. 

I will the carpet to-morrow. 

The rain may the dust. 

means get up, or ascend, or become higher ; thus, — 

early. Balloons rapidly. 

Eivers in the spring. 

means lift (something) up, or cause (vegetables, &c.) to 

grow ; as, — 

your hand. Farmers corn and wheat. 

Exercise 6. 

To be studied with the Teacher. 

1. In these statements, mention the words that express ac- 
tion ; tell when the action is or was performed ; tell the 
meaning of each action-word used : — 

I sit here now. I set the things there now. 

I sat here yesterday. I set them there yesterday. 

I have sat here often. I have set them there often. 

I had sat here then. I had set them there before. 

9 



130 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



I lie here every day. 
I lay here yesterday. 
I have lain here often. 
I had lain here an hour. 

I rise early now. 
I rose early yesterday. 
I have risen early. 
I had risen then. 



I lay the books here now. 
I laid them there yesterday. 
I have laid them yonder often. 
I had laid them here before. 

I raise my hand now. 
I raised my hand awhile ago. 
I have raised my hand often. 
I had raised my hand then. 



2. Use each of the above action-words correctly, in a state- 

ment, inquiry, or command. 

3. In what two ways may the word lay be used correctly ? 

4. Which of the above action- words show what the one 

acting does to some other object ? 

5. Correct, — 



(a) Lay down and rest. 

(b) I laid on the lounge. 

(c) I had laid there an hour. 

(d) I have set up twice. 

(e) He sat the things down. 



(/) He lay them there. 
(g) He has went without me. 
(]i) You seen the mistake. 
(i) We come last week. 
(/) The boys is here. 



Exercise 7. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Correct, — 

1. Don't tell nobody. 

2. I wasn't there neither. 

3. Say nothing to -no one. 

4. He wouldn't go nowhere. 

5. They never said nothing. 



my, 


running, 


oxen's, 


toward, 


rough, 


strikes, 


brave, 


nephew. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 131 



EEVIEW AND TEST EXERCISES. 

Exercise 1. — (Oral) 

Use the following words correctly, and tell what kind of a 
word each is : — 

Francis, I, leather, 

Pittsburg, soon, felly, 

piano, here, June, 

boat-house, quickly, hurrah ! 

Exercise 2. — (Blackboard.) 

1. Make these marks, and write the name of each : — 

?! . A ' — , 

2. Write an example in which you use each of the above 

marks correctly. 

3. Mark the vowels in these words : — 

man, mane, far, care, saw. 

4. Name the marks used above the vowels, and tell what 

each mark shows. 

5. Use the proper marks to show what corrections should be 

made in, — 

the boys Father lives onn Girard avenue. 

Exercise 3. 

1. Write your full name, and your initials. 

2. Write the name of, — 

a person, a thing, a part of an object, 

a place, a material, an action. 



132 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. Mention a suitable proper name for, — 

a horse, a month, a sled, a street, 

an engine, a day, an ocean, a dog, 

a river, a star, a country, a mountain. 

4. How should a proper name be written ? 

5. Write correctly, and give a reason for each correction 

made, — 
Indian ocean, Central park, Cascade avenue. 

Exercise 4. 

1. Write each of these names so that it will mean more 
than one : — 



table, 


bench, 


box, 


adz, 


moss, 


wish, 


leaf, 


cannon, 


deer, 


chimney, 


scissors, 


tooth, 


hose, 


solo, 


echo, 


copy. 



2. Give the rule for spelling each word to which you added 
5 or es. 

Exercise 5. 

Correct all the mistakes in the following: — 

1. frank and me was laughing hearty. 

2. has albert and Judith ever been to south america 

3. they gets on the cars and goes to rochester, Cleveland 

and Chicago. 

4. The boy o where was he 

5. Mens' and boy's clothing for sale. 

6. Her and I set at the window and seen them pass. 

7. Him and me had came before you returned back. 

8. He is nicely and she looks handsomely. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 



133 



9. It is perfecter and transparenter than yourn. 
10. I laid on the lounge a hour. 

Exercise 6. 

1. Write, and dictate the spelling of, a compound word. 

2. Use correctly, and tell for what each is used, — 

I, you, she, we, 

my, or mine, your, or yours, her, or hers, our, or ours. 



he, 


it, 


they, 


this, 


these, 


his, 


its, 


their, or theirs, 


that, 


those. 



Exercise 7. 
Use correctly in a statement, or in an inquiry, — 



is, was, 


has, 


sit, 


lie, 


rise, 


are, were, 


have, 


set, 


lay, 


raise, 


see, go, 


do, 


does, 


sat, 


rose, 


saw, went, 


did, 


came, 


lain, 


raised, 


seen, gone, 


done, 


comes, 


laid, 


risen. 




Exercise 8. 






Turn to Lesson - 


in 


your Eeader; 


look at the words 



used, and make a list, — 

1. of the names, 

2. of the words used in- 

stead of names, 

3. of the quality- words, 

4. of the emotion-words, 

5. of the relation- words, 



6. of the words that show 

hoiv, when, or where, 

7. of the action-words that 

state, 

8. of the action-words that 

name or describe. 



134 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



SUMMARY — (Continued). 



See Teacher's Edition. 



XY. A group of words may be 



1. a statement. 

2. an inquiry. 

3. a command. 

4. an exclamation. 



XVI. A word may be used - 



XVII. A word may be the name of 



XVIII. Possession may be denoted 



XIX. A word which expresses 
a quality may show 



' 1. as a name ; thus, box, Albert. 

2. instead of a name ; as, /, his. 

3. to express a quality ; as, brittle. 

4. to express action ; as, running, 

runs. 

5. to express emotion ; as, 0, alas / 

6. to show how ; as, well, rapidly. 
7 to show when ; as, to-day, never. 

8. to show where ; as, there, yonder. 

9. to show relative position; as, at, 

toward, from, beside, over. 

r 1. a man or boy; as, uncle, 

nephew, landlord. 
J 2. a woman or girl ; as, aunt, 
I niece, landlady. 

1. by adding the 's to a name; 
thus, boy's, mens. 

2. by adding the ' only to a 
name; thus, boys'. 

3. hj using a word instead of 
the name ; thus, my, your. 

r 1. that one of two things has more 
than the other of the quality 
expressed ; thus, taller, heavier, 
more beautiful. 
that one of several things has 
more than any one of the others 
of the quality expressed ; thus, 
tallest, heaviest, most beautiful. 



* For I. to XIV. (inclusive), see pages 65 and QQ. 



MORE TO LEARN ABOUT WORDS. 



135 



XX. To spell quality-words 

correctly when er or \ 3 
est is added 



f i 

I 2, 

XXI. A word that expresses J 3 
action may be used 

14. 



XXII. An action-word may state 



XXIII. To show that an action- 
word states what only 
one does 



. drop final e before er or est ; thus, 

true -H er = tru-er. 
, double a final consonant when it 

has a single vowel before it ; 

thus, red + er = red-der. 
, when final y has the sound of t 

change it to i; thus, pretty, 

prettier. 
, remember to change y to i in add- 
ing er or est to dry ; thus, dry, 

drier, driest. 

to describe ; as, running water, 
to name ; as, Running is tiresome, 
to show what is stated; as, The 

water is running. 
to state ; as, Water runs. 

{1. what but one does; as, The 
bird flies. 
2. what two, or more than two, 
do ; as, The birds fly. 

1. usually add s; thus, sits, comes, 

looks. 

2. to go and do add es; thus, goes, 

does. 

3. to action-words which end in x, 

z, .<?, ch (soft), sh, or the sound 
of y, add es; thus, fixes, freez- 
es, presses, hitches, crashes, 
dredges. 

4. when final y has a consonant 

before it, change the y to * 
and add es; thus, pity, pities; 
supply, supplies. 

5. add s only to an action-word 

that ends in y with a vowel 
before it; thus, stays, sur- 
veys.* 



See Caution ], page 136. 



136 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



Note. — When an action-word ends in e, the final 
dropped before es ; thus, glaze + es = glaz-es. 



e is 



XXIY. Is, was, has, and does inquire of one. Are, were, 
have, and do inquire of more than one. 

as, men at the, 
XXV, A word may be used to show 
the relation between 



1. objects ; 
anvil. 

2. an action and an object ; 
as, walking through the 

yard. 



f 1. the first letter of an inquiry. 

TrrrTTT -T ., , „ 2. the first letter of a command. 

XX VI. Use a capital for i _ ,, „ • , . , . . 

r j 3. the first letter of an exclamation. 

^ 4. the word 0. 



XXVII Use^ 



1. a . after a command. 

2. an ? after an inquiry. 



XXVIII. Use a comma 



,. an ! after an exclamation. 
V. 4. an ! after a word, or words, used to express emotion. 



f 1. to cut off the word, or words, that show of 
whom a question is asked. 

2. to cut off the word, or words, that show to 

whom a command is given. 

3. after the word 0. 

4. when and is omitted between two quality- 

words. 

5. when and is omitted between two words 

that show how an action is performed. 



XXIX. Use a hyphen ( - ) between the parts of a compound word ; 
thus, father-in-law. 

Cautions. — 1. Do not add s or es to an action-word used 
with I or you to state what one does. 

2. Do not use has, have, or had, before did, went, or came. 

3. Do not use seen, gone, or done, without has, was, have, 

had, or some word that states. 



\ 



LETTER WRITING. 137 



CHAPTEK XVI 
LETTER WRITING. 



LESSON I. 

THE PARTS OF A LETTER. 

Preceded by oral lessons and blackboard exercises indicated in Teacher's Edition. 



I. The Parts of a letter are 



1. the heading, 

2. the address, 

3. the salutation, 

4. the body, 

5. the subscription. 

1. Turn to the letters found on pages 141 and 142, and read, 

(a) the heading of each letter, 

(b) the address of each letter, 

(c) the salutation of each letter, 

(d) the body of each letter, 

(e) the subscription of each letter. 

2. What does the heading of a letter show ? 

The heading shows where and when the letter was written ; thus, 



€^n / 



jL<n,e JO, JtftfO. 



138 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. What does the address of a letter show ? 

The address shows to whom the letter is written, and to what place it 
should be sent ; thus, 



C/Mu C^diZ^yu, 



// ; 



4. What is the superscription of a letter ? 

When the address is written on the envelope (en'-ve-lope or Sn-vSl'-op) it 
is called the superscription, 

5. What does the word superscription mean ? 
Superscription means that which is written above. 

6. What does the word subscription mean ? 
Subscription means that which is written under, 

7. Of what is the subscription of a letter made up ? 

The closing words of esteem, and the name of the writer, make up the 
subscription of a letter ; thus, 



-awi, iz-estzt ^<u ; 



Note. — The name signed by the writer is called his sig- 
nature. 

8. What is the salutation of a letter ? 



\ 



LETTER WRITING. 139 

The greeting is called the salutation ; as, 

9. What is the body of a letter ? 

All that part of the letter between the salutation and the subscription 
is called the body of the letter. 

Cautions. — 1. There should be something on every letter 
to show , — 

(a) To whom the letter is written, and to what place it 

should be sent. 

(b) By whom the letter is written, and to what place 

an answer may be sent, or the letter returned. 
2. The heading, signature, address, and superscription of 
a letter cannot be written too plainly. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Copy the diagram of a letter on the next page. 

2. Name the parts of a letter shown in the diagram. 

3. Write on your slate the name of each part of a letter, 

beside the picture of that part. 

4. What else is shown in the diagram ? 

5. Mention two uses of the hyphen. 

6. What does this (1F) show ? 

7. Find a story in your Eeader, and tell how many para- 

graphs it contains. How do you know ? 

8. If the paragraphs were not numbered, how could you 

tell where a new paragraph begins ? 

9. When should a new paragraph be formed in a story or 

a letter ? 
10. Tell how many paragraphs there are in each of the letters 
found on pages 141 and 142. , 



140 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



TT * * * * * 

r.. 



IT &0- 

/ore 



IT. illumina- 
tion. 



t t t t t t, 

t t t t t t, 

o o o o o o. 



KEY TO THE DIAGRAM. 

• • • •, the heading, , the address, 

* * * , the salutation, , the body, 

t t t > the subscription, o O o o, the signature. 



LETTER WRITING. 141 



ini^zd-cwi, 



tutzd -cu^y. ■l€-e<e'bv<&cU 






<&4,e <a4s£ d4i44^, . -isflizi^ susou sia-cz d!>a -i^z-z^ 
don^-ai^u vW& dA.-a-'T&e -off - / i^a44 &i{y£e/fi -y^d'C&'UfctZ'ty, <ezw*z 
■U£4dJi&cz '£<rLa4. 14,4144 -u&e4€, wt&L 44d. 



1-0-4JL& 4,44d'i 



1^ 4M44<u^e -a/ dfAe. -c<t4su/ ^We- 4^<&£e4e4Z d4iwie. 

<6e^zu^4j?U<c ^^^/^^^^^^^ -0.444 <z&dd<m <&%44 -mixd^i-i^i^a/ 

C/Ae ^e-tz4>n^4 -ct^yu/ <a44 <w,4U44 j&tevz-czd 444, do^-cKJyt 

4,41444 <me, tw, ■Pt/4dsri4'yi,4z, ^,4x44 tz m^4i<a<uz&t'C 4Jt^z4>a'i4<ad / i/ 

d?{QoA,4^i-<z. dh£ci4 <jf4i44 <t&be <z44-eiZ4^y, <&e4s£ed, y -a^T^t/ 

-um4sl 'O-e <a4$4?e <£a -i>u444?e -C41 vne, 4ij^e^i y Cy -a-m, 

^-C/-e4^ ^4444>u, y <y,<i4<t4 ^yL4ye^i</ / 

^<a4<Pa44d. 



4dd 



42,3 < ^4zdoa^e C/^e^t4^e y 



ed^Vy€4, 



142 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



A BUSINESS LETTER. 



Jh&n §£ ^Crtey, 






S6 G794c#n 



&a&d£x<n / Cwi&idd. 

<Z&e dwsrndZed j^ad dUdy,, d$$ ' 0, <z<n<z <wie. dtfud-cdifes 
<£c-a4d d^a " ' &j<adU^^€isstez, -£a dZeiz&n. -ad? d%e <uz^n^ 



m - *de 



2, C^2^Z< 



LETTER WRITING. 143 

LESSON II. 

ABOUT PARAGRAPHS AND MARGINS. 

Preceded by oral instruction. — See Teacher's Edition. 

1. What is a margin ? Of what use is a margin in a book ? 

A letter? 
2 In writing a letter, how many, and what, margins should 

be allowed ? 

Two ; a margin of one inch and a half, or fonr centimeters, at the top, 
and a margin of more than half an inch at the left. 

3. What is a paragraph ? A stanza ? A verse ? 

4. How often should a paragraph be made in a letter ? 

5. How do we mark the beginning of a new paragraph ? 

6. What is a paragraph margin ? 

The space allowed between the left margin and where the new para- 
graph begins is the paragraph margin. 

7. How wide should the paragraph margin be ? 

The paragraph margin should be one inch, or two and a half centi- 
meters, in width. The first word of every paragraph should 
begin just under the first word of the paragraph above, and the 
spaces between the left margin and the initial of each paragraph 
should be equal. 

Exercise 1. — (Blackboard.) 
Draw a diagram of a letter which will show, (a) the top 
margin ; (b) the left margin ; (c) the paragraph margin ; 
(d) how many paragraphs there are in the letter, and 
where each ends ; (e) the parts of the letter. 

S^'Turn to page 184, and learn the meaning of the words abbre- 
viate and abbreviation. 



144 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Turn to the Appendix to Part L, page 186, and learn the 

meaning of, and how to write, the following : — 

A. D. B. C. inst. P. 0. St. 

Ave. Co. No. prox. nit. 

2. Learn to write the abbreviations of the names of months 

and the names of days. 

Exercise 3. — {Blackboard.) 

1. Write the name of the place in which you live. 

2. Write the name of the county in which you live. 

3. Write the abbreviation used for the word county. 
4 Write the name of the State in which you reside. 

5. How is the name of your State abbreviated ? Write the 

abbreviation very plainly. 

6. Write the name of this month. Write the abbreviation 

used for the name of this month. 

7. How many days are there in this month ? Show in 

figures what day of the month this is. 

8. Show in figures what year this is. 



A. — THE HEADING OF A LETTER. 

LESSON I. 
THE ITEMS OF THE HEADING. 
See note, Teacher's Edition. 

1. What part of a letter is the first to be written ? 

2. What should the heading of a letter show ? 

o 



LETTER WRITING. 145 

_. mI .,. . .. , (1. where the letter was written, 
I, The heading should show < „, 

(2. when the letter was written. 

3. What items would you use for the heading of a letter to 
be written from here to-day ? 

Caution 1. — If a letter be written from a place that is not 
very large and very well known, the heading should 
give the name of the place, the name of the county, and 
the name of the State ; thus, 



4 What items would form a correct heading for a letter to 
be written to-morrow from your home ? 

Caution 2. — If an answer is to be sent to the place from 
which the letter is written, the heading should give in 
full the address of the writer ; thus, 



Or, 



MU€i' t 



w 327, &d'CU<£i<ni04,4. 



Or, 



Or, 



"z66i^ 



G/tv-ui <p^>4 fan. 6, Jft??. 
10 



146 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

5. What items would form a correct heading for a letter to 
be written next Christmas from the largest city in your 
State ? 

Caution 3. — There are many places in the United States 
which have the same name; as, Rochester, Jackson, 
Newark, Washington, In writing from any such, even 
though it be a large and well-known city, be careful to 
add the name of the State ; thus, 

&i@<xc.A-edJs&i / Gw$iwi>ts C/^tuiZ'tA / Grew- ^^-a4^ 

cfy-a-cdseds^e^ Gw. ^p^ GveutcUte, Grew- J^eteeyS 



Exercise. 

1. Mention the items of these headings, and tell what each 
item shows : * — 

to 






'-^t^wiy, 2.3, JtfO. 



* The name of the month and the day of the month make one item, the 
house number and the name of the street make one item ; the P. 0. Box number 
is one item. 



LETTER WRITING. 147 



(d.) 



1&Z, 42.0, 



€sl-rzt<wi€4, ^fi-a., 



4ff&. 



2. Mention the abbreviations used in the above headings. 
Tell instead of what word each abbreviation is used. 
What mark is placed after each abbreviation ? 



LESSON II. 
THE CAPITALS AND PUNCTUATION OF THE HEADING. 

Preceded by an observation lesson. — See Teacher's Edition. 

Development Questions. — 1. What is a statement ? 2. Read the fol- 
lowing group of words : — 



3. What do you think about that group of words being a statement ? 
Why ? 4. What mark should be used at the close of a statement ? Copy the 
above statement, and use the period correctly. 5. Rewrite the statement, 
and omit every word that is not a proper name ; thus, — 



&tu iy / U'&iZ'nd- 



€UC*l S //<? ?f. 



6. What did you omit between Orleans and March? Between 3 and 1879? 

7. What mark should be used in a statement instead of omitted words? 

8. Use the commas correctly where on and in the year are omitted ; thus, — 

9. Why not use a comma instead of the words omitted before New ? 



148 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Marks of punctuation are to be used only after words or groups of 
words. 

10. Eead the heading formed from your statement. Mention the items of 
the heading formed. Tell what mark is used after each item, and why it is 
used. 11. What words in the heading of a letter should be written with 
capitals ? 

1. Change each of the following statements into a heading 

for a letter, and use the comma and period correctly : — 

(a) This letter was written at Topeka in the State of Kan- 

sas on June 12 in the year 1874. 

(b) This letter was written at 20 Bond Street in the city 

of New York on October 26 in the year 1872. 

(c) This letter was written at Piney Point in St. Mary's 
County Maryland on April 19 in the year 1866. 

2. Eead the headings formed, and tell what mark you used 

at the close of each heading. 

3. Tell what words you omitted from each statement, and 

what mark you used instead of the omitted words. 

4. Mention the items of each heading, and tell what each 

item shows. 

5. How should the heading of a letter be punctuated ? 

n. A comma should be placed after every item of a heading 
except the last. 
A period should be used after the last item of a heading. 

Exercise 1. — (Blackboard.) 

1. Write, and punctuate correctly, a suitable heading for a 

letter to be sent from here to-day. 

2. Copy the following headings, and use the comma and 

period correctly : — 



LETTER WRITING. 149 

(a.) 
- Q>.) 






14U€l4sU, 3 4$$£ 

(d.) 

'"/ Grade, ^fU v ^td&L&da. 



3. Mention every item of each heading, and tell why you 

used each capital, comma, and period. 

4. Kewrite the above headings, and abbreviate correctly the 

names of the States and the names of the months. 

5. What mark should be used after each abbreviation ? 

Caution. — A period used to mark an abbreviation is not a 
mark of punctuation. If a comma is required after a 
word written in full, place a comma after the period 
which marks the abbreviation of that word ; thus, — 



150 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



Or, 

Home Task. 

Write a proper heading for a letter to be sent to-morrow 
from your home. 

Cautions. — 1. Do not leave out a necessary item of the 
heading. 

2. Punctuate the heading correctly. 

3. Write the heading very plainly. 

Exercise 2. — {Oral and Blackboard.) 

1. Tell what the heading of a letter shows. 

2. Tell of what items a heading may be made up, and how 

it should be punctuated. Write an example. 

3. When may a comma be used after a period ? Write an 

example. 

4. Dictate the items, capitals, and punctuation of the head- 

ing for a letter, — 

(a) To be written on New Year's day from the capital of 

your State ; 

(b) To be written on the 23d of March, 1885, from Omaha, 

in the State of Nebraska, by a person who would like 
the answer to be sent to P. 0. Box 169. 

5. Use these items in a heading : — 



LETTER WRITING. 151 

(a) Tennessee; Nashville; ISO Cherry Street; 1892; 
February 26. 

(b) Brown County; January 13 ; Ohio; 1884; Ripley. 

(c) March 4; 1891; New York City; P. 0. Box 11 40. 



LESSON III. 

THE POSITION OF THE HEADING. 
Preceded by oral instruction and practice, indicated in Teacher's Edition. 

1. Where should the heading of a letter be placed ? 

The heading of a letter should be placed in the upper right-hand corner 
of the sheet of paper, and should begin about an inch and a half, 
or four centimeters, from the top of the sheet. 

2. How much space may the heading occupy ? 

The heading may occupy a part of one line, of two lines, or of three 
lines; thus,— 

(a.) 



<e^a ^^a^tn., gg/<ec. 40, <f$$o. 
(6.) 



'sewiW-€4. 40, 4£$0. 



^e<>ew,-ae<i 40, 4#g0. 



152 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Note. — If the heading be made up of many items, and 
the sheet of paper be small, the date may be placed at the 
close of the letter, in the lower left-hand corner. 

Exercise 1. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Directions. — 1. Rule a straight line across your slate one inch and a 
half, or four centimeters, from the top. 2. Under this, rule three more 
parallel lines one centimeter, or a little less than half an inch, apart. 3. Re- 
peat the lines and spaces at the other end of your slate. 4. Repeat on the 
other side of your slate. 5. In the exercise which follows, use the top line of 
each group as the top line on a sheet of letter-paper, and each margin above 
the lines as the top margin of a letter. 

1. Write a proper heading for a letter to be sent from here 

to-day. 

A. If the heading may be placed on one line, it should 

begin far enough to the left to be written very plainly, 
and yet allow a small space at the right after the 
date. See (a) above. 

B. If the heading requires two lines, allow a little more 

space at the right on the top line, and begin and end 
the items of the second line farther toward the right 
than those on the first line. See (b) above. 

C. If the heading requires three lines, allow still more 

space at the right of the first line, and let the items 
on the second and third lines begin and end farther 
to the right than the items on the line next above 
them. See (c) above. 

2. Use these items in a heading : — 

Place, San Francisco ; date, Jan. 5, 1884. 



LETTER WRITING. 153 

3. Write a heading for a letter to be sent from Lowell, in the 

State of Massachusetts, on the 11th day of July, in the 
year 1887. 

4. Write a heading for a letter to be written in Hamilton 

Co., Ohio, on the 16th of February, 1885 ; the answer 
to be sent to P. 0. Box 64, College Hill. 

5. Look at the headings written, and tell, — 

(a) of what items the heading of a letter is made up, 

(b) how the heading of a letter should be punctuated, 

(c) where the heading of a letter should be placed, 

(d) how many lines the heading may occupy, 

(e) where each line of the heading should begin and 

end. 

W~ Keview Lesson II., Chapter V., page 42. 

Exercise 2. 

1. What is a title ? 

A word used with the name of a person as a mark of respect, or to 
designate his rank, office, or position, is called a title ; as, Cap- 
tain, Doctor, Judge, Madam, Superintendent. 

2. How should a title be written ? 

A word that is used as a title of office, or honor, should be commenced 
with a capital letter ; thus, Professor, General, Miss. 

3. Turn to the Appendix to Part I. and learn the meaning 

of, and how to write, — 



Mr. 


Dr. 


Prof. 


P.M. 


Mrs. 


Capt. 


Esq. 


M. D. 


Jr. 


Agt. 


Hon. 


Messrs. 



154 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

4 Write each of the above abbreviations, and, after each, the 
title for which it stands. 

5. Use correctly, with the name of a person, each title 
learned. 

Cautions. — (a) Mr. and Esq. mean the same. Both should 
not be used in the same address. 

(b) Dr. and 31. D. mean the same. Both should not be 

used' in the same address. 

(c) Miss is not an abbreviation, and a period should not be 

placed after it. 



B. — THE ADDRESS OF A LETTER. 

LESSON I. 
THE ITEMS OF THE ADDRESS. 

1. Xame all the parts of a letter shown in the diagram on 

page 140, and tell which part of a letter comes next to 
the heading, 

2. What does the address of a letter show ? 

I. The address shows { *' to whom the Ietter is written ' 

( 2. to what place the letter should be sent. 

3. Turn to the letters on pages 141 and 142, and read the 

address of each. 

4. How many, and what, items should the address of a 

letter contain ? 



LETTER WRITING. 155 

n. The address of a letter should be made np of four items, yiz. : 
(a) The title and name of a person or firm, 
(6) The number of a house and the name of a street, 

(c) The name of a city, 

(d) The name of a State. 

Or, 

(a) The title and name of a person or firm, 

(b) The name of a place, 

(c) The name of a county, 

(d) The name of a State.* 

Thus: — 

eddAd. (Q4sif -atiscz 

6& -aw,*/ 64. ^^n^td^eyC 



tswn. 



Or, 



i-a<z. 33, ^(jfr& 



5. What other part of a letter contains the same items which 
make up the address ? Of what use, then, is the ad- 
dress ? 



* The P. 0. Box number may be used instead of the street number in the first 
list, or added to the items of the last. 



156 elementary lessons in english. 

Home Task. 

Make a list of the items which should be used in the address 
of a letter to be sent to some one at your home. 

Exercise 1. — {Blackboard.) 

See Teacher's Edition. 

Exercise 2. 

1. Name the parts of a letter shown in the following ; read 
the items of each part ; tell what each item shows : — 



(a.) 



eddsid.. s&i^m -u^ut tffae^z 



43 



S^tue^t, O^htzdd. 



to 

CMwd^Ce; Cj&uz., Saw. £, <fgf£. 



<ld. tylQ-iAsizwi c 



^■add- 

to 



-atwe 



(Q-tidsfcmsei'n, 



LETTER WRITING. 157 

2. Mention the abbreviations used in the above, and write 

the titles abbreviated. 

3. Tell where each comma and period used in the above is 

placed, and why it is needed. 



LESSON II. 

THE CAPITALS AND PUNCTUATION OF THE ADDRESS. 
Preceded by an observation lesson. — See Teacher's Edition. 

1. What have you learned about the use of capitals in the 

address of a letter ? 

III. Any title, proper name, or abbreviation, used in the address 

of a letter, should begin with a capital. 
IV. Any common name (as street, county, box, avenue), 

used in the address of a letter, should begin with a 

capital. 

V. The word and, used in the address of a letter, should not 

begin with a capital. 

2. What have you learned about the use of the comma and 

period in the address of a letter ? 

VI. A comma shonld be placed after every item of the address 

except the last. A period should be placed after the last 
item. 
VH. If the title be placed after the name, it should be separated 
from it by a comma ; thus, — 
A. B. Clark, Esq. E. B. Lewis, M. D. 

If the title be used before the name, the comma should not be 
placed between them $ thus, — 

Mr. A. B. Clark. Dr. E. B. Lewis. 



158 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

Tin. When the last word of an address is abbreviated, bnt one 
period is nsed to mark the abbreviation and the close of 
the address ; thns, — 

E. S. Erskine, M.D., 

Washington, D. C. 

Exercise 1. — (Blackboard.) 

Copy the following neatly and carefully, and tell why each 
capital, comma, and period is used : — 

(a.) 






V 

fez; Jf6 y &0<a*t4Z>o4, / Gv%&. 



4wi. Gr. C/. J&U4n<ed / 



0604/ (^wk^^e g/wdtatpa. 



LETTER WRITING. 



159 



Exercise 2. 

Write correctly, and give a reason for each correction 



made, — 



Harper & brothers 
Franklin Square. 
New York city. 



P box 32 Trenton N J. 

August 23, 1890, 



Mrs p t ferguson 
32 main St 

Charleston s. c. 



2. 



clarksville red river Co. 

Texas June 7 1892 



Mr., Hiram Preston Esq., 
Jackson Mich.. 



Dover, Del, Sept, 20. 1873, 



Exercise 3. — {Review.) 

1. What does the heading of a letter show ? 

2. Of what items is the heading of a letter made up ? 

3. How should the heading of a letter be punctuated ? 

4. Just where, on a sheet of paper, should the heading of a 

letter be placed ? 



160 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

5. Why should the heading of a letter he written very 

plainly ? 

6. What items should the address of a letter contain? 

Why? 

7. When written on the envelope, what is the address 

called ? 

8. Why should the address be written on the letter as well 

as on the envelope ? 

9. What is a title ? Mention the proper titles of three 

persons whom you know, and tell how each of those 
titles should be abbreviated. 
10. Write a suitable heading and address for a letter to be 
sent from here to-day. Tell where, and why, you 
used each capital, period, and comma in the heading 
and address written. 

Exercise 4. — {Blackboard) 

See Teacher's Edition. 



LESSON III. 

THE POSITION OF THE ADDRESS. 

Preceded by an observation lesson. — See Teacher's Edition. 

The address of the person to whom the letter is sent is written npon 
the letter, so that the postmaster, or any person who may find the 
letter outside of the envelope, may know to whom it belongs. It 
should be written so plainly that no mistake can be made in 
regard to a single letter or figure used. 



LETTER WRITING. 161 

The address may be placed at the beginning or at the close of the 
letter. It is better to place the address of a business letter at the 
beginning, next to the heading ; thus, — 

The address of an official letter, or of a letter of friendship, may be 
placed at the close of the letter, after the subscription, at the left- 
hand side of the page ; thus, — 

Or,- 






<td {(j<ZC&4s£€-'yi,Cslf / 






1. What is a margin ? 

2. How many, and what, margins should be allowed on the 

first page of a letter ? 



162 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

3. How wide should the upper margin be ? The left 

margin ? 

4. Just where, on a sheet of letter-paper, should the address 

of a letter begin ? 

(a) If the items of the heading occupy but one line, 
the address should begin near ike left margin, on 
the second line below the heading. 

(5) If the items of the heading occupy more than one 
line, the address should begin near the left margin, 
on the next line underneath the heading. 

(e) If the letter is an official letter, or a letter of friend- 
ship, the address may begin at the left margin on 
the next line below the signature of the writer. 

Exercise 1. 

1. Eule your slate like a sheet of letter-paper; allowing 

an upper margin of one inch and a half, or four centi- 
meters, a left margin of two centimeters, or three quar- 
ters of an inch, and a space of half an inch between the 
lines. 

2. Write the heading and address of a letter to be sent : — 

(a) From here, March 16, 1890, to some one now in school 

with you. The person will be in New York, at 
Saratoga, and will be usins[ P. 0. Box 92. 

(b) From St. Augustine in Florida to D. Lothrop & Co. 

of Boston. Their store is on the corner of Hawley 
and Franklin Sts. The letter may be dated Aug. 3, 
1889. 

(c) From Lincoln, Nebraska, on Christmas Day, 1887, to 

your teacher, whose address will remain unchanged. 



LETTER WRITING. 163 

Look over your work and be sure, — 

(a) that every letter and figure used can be read, 

(b) that no necessary item is omitted, 

(c) that capitals and marks of punctuation are correctly 

used, 

(d) that each part begins and ends at the right place. 



C— THE BODY OF THE LETTER. 

LESSON I. 

THE SALUTATION. 

I. The body of the letter contains what you say to the person to 

whom you write. 

As you would not enter another's room without rapping at 
the door, or begin a conversation with him without speaking 
his name, or in some polite way calling his attention, so you 
should not begin what you have to say to the person to whom 
you write without some form of greeting ; as, 

Sir: — My dear Sir, — Dear Friend, — 

Gentlemen: — My dear Mother: — 

II. The greeting is called the salutation, and is the first thing 

in the body of the letter ; thus, 

1. 

Exeter, K H., Oct. 1, 1893. 
Messrs. Olin and Collamore, 
13 Tremont Place, Boston. 

Gentlemen : — We ordered, on the 19th ult., &c. 



164 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

2. 

Kome, Oneida Co., N. Y. 
December 23, 1885. 
My dear Friend, — 

Yours of the 16th inst. was duly received, &c. 

Very truly yours, 

George J. Brooks. 
Dr. Elmer C. Brigham, 
Houston, Texas. 

Cautions. — 1 . The salutation should never be disrespect- 
ful, or even as familiar as a spoken greeting, 

2. Do not abbreviate the words of your salutation. 

3. Do not be familiar or presumptuous in greeting a 

person who is older, or more learned, or in higher 
position than yourself 

Forms of Greeting. 
1. To a strange gentleman, or gentlemen, — 

iU. — ofc €&*i4. <ofci: — ©&*.- — 



2. To a strange lady, — 

3. To a friend or relative, — 



C/l/lQy. -c/&tz4 (^tsisevt-tz, — 



■eiZ't ^xj<utd<i4<i 



letter writing. 165 

Exercise 1. 

Dictate an appropriate salutation for a letter to, — 

1. A business firm. 3. A classmate. 

2. Your teacher. 4. A strange lady. 
5. A relative to whom you would like to write. 



LESSON II. 

THE CAPITALS AND PUNCTUATION OF THE GREETING. 

Preceded by an observation lesson. — See Teacher's Edition. 

1. What have you learned about the use of capitals in the 
salutation ? 

1. The initial of the first word of the salutation should always 

be a capital; as, 

Dear Sir, — My dear Sir,-— 

n. Any title (as Sir, Madam) used in the salntation should 

begin with a capital letter, 
III. The words friend, father, mother, &c. are used as titles 

in a salutation, and each should begin with a capital letter ; 

thus, 

Dear Friend, — My dear Cousin, — 

2. Point out the commas in the following, and tell why each 

comma is used : — 

Did you write to him, Walter? 
My dear Agnes, come here. 
Will you, Charles, write to him ? 

3. What mark is used after the greeting to the person ad- 

dressed in a letter ? 



166 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

IV. The salutation or greeting to the person addressed in a letter 
is separated from what is said to him by a comma and dash ; 
thus, Dear Alfred, — 
Or by a colon and dash 5 thus, Gentlemen : — 

Exercise 1. — (Blackboard.) 

Write an appropriate salutation for a letter to, — 

1. A little boy. 

3. An old gentleman whom you know. 

3. A strange lady. 

4. A dear friend or relative. 

5. A business firm. 

Exercise 2. — (Oral.) 

1. Of what use is the heading of a letter ? The address ? 

The salutation ? 

2. How many, and what, items should the heading contain ? 

The address ? 

3. Tell what a margin is, and how wide the upper and left 

margins of a letter should be. 

4. Where should the heading of a letter begin ? The ad- 

dress ? 

5. What does the body of a letter contain ? What is the 

first thing to be written in the body of a letter ? 

6. What mark should be placed at the close of the address ? 

Of the salutation ? Of the heading: ? 

7. What words in the salutation should begin with capitals ? 

8. What is a paragraph ? 

9. What is a paragraph margin ? How wide should the 

paragraph margin of a letter be ? 



LETTER WRITING. 167 

10. Look at the letters on pages 141 and 142, and tell me 
where the first paragraph of each begins. 

W^ Keview Lesson IL, page 143. 



LESSON III. 
THE POSITION OF THE SALUTATION. 

The first word of the salutation is the beginning of the first para- 
graph of the letter. 

The first letter of the salutation fixes the width of the paragraph 
margin. 

I, The salutation should be written on the line next below the 
address (or next below the heading if the address be placed 
at the close) ; thus, 

(a.) 

ed<u<L. 



(I.) 



<me.i4 .• — ^Uz^-2 j/sCMMisi; cr-c. 



>az. £?£; ^<UkU^cC<3. ^fottn-t 






We -un^e, $-c. 



168 elementary lessons in english. 

Exercise 1. 

Think of a letter that you could write, and draw on your 
slate a diagram that will show, — 

1. Where the heading of the letter should be placed, and 

how many lines you would use in writing it. 

2. Where the address should begin, and how many lines it 

would require. 

3. The width of the paragraph margin. 

4. Where the salutation would begin and end. 

5. Where each paragraph on the first page would begin. 

Describe the diagram so that some one can make a copy of 
it on the blackboard. 

Exercise 2. 

Turn to the Appendix to Part I., page 186, and learn the 
meaning of, and how to write, — 

rec'd Eev. , B. A. LL. D. Ft. 

K. R Pres. Prof. Gov. Gen. 

U. S. A. D. D. P. S. Lieut. Capt. 

Exercise 3. 
Write the heading, address, and salutation of a letter to be 
sent, — 

1. Prom your home to-day, to Messrs. John Wilson & 

Son, at Cambridge, Mass. 

2. On the 3d prox., by them, in reply to your letter. 

3. From your present residence, at any date, to a physi- 

cian whose name is John W. Lee, and whose office is 
at 650 Broadway, New York City. 



LETTER WRITING. 169 

4. From Des Moines, Iowa, to Mrs. F. H. Adams. Date, 

Jan. 8, 1890. Her residence, Louisville, Ky. She 
uses P. 0. Box 137. 

5. To a minister living at Columbia, S. C, from a person 

living at 119 Plum St., in Vicksburg, Miss. Give 
any date. 

Exercise 4. 
Write correctly, and give a reason for each correction 
made, — 

1. 

coates house kansas city 
mo. february 14 1896 
miss may howbert. 

4 park street 

Colorado Springs Col, 

my Dear friend. Your very interesting letter, &c. 

2. 

Smalltown, April 1884, 
Gentlemen : — 

Please send us by return mail, &c. 



LESSON IV. 

MORE ABOUT THE BODY OF THE LETTER. 

Preceded~by an observation lesson. — See Teacher's Edition. 

1. What more have you learned about the body of a letter ? 

(a) What follows the salutation should always begin with a cap- 
ital; thus: — 



170 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

w 



0/0 






'c^ew, 44,4444, 






'eat <^S4- 

(yjf^y <te€&i^ec£ / <£fise/ -a^z^ <£z*£'n<(zd / ere. 

(&) If the address occupies two or more lines, what follows the 
salutation should always begin on the same line with it; 
as (x) above. 

(c) If the address was written on one line, what follows the sal- 

utation should begin on the next line below; as {y) above. 

(d) If the address be placed at the close of the letter, the saluta- 

tion should begin on the line next below the heading, and 
what follows the salutation should begin on the line next 
below that; as (2) above. 



LETTER WRITING. 171 

2. Write the heading, address, salutation, and first line of a 

letter, to illustrate b, c, and d. 

3. What have you learned about the paragraphs of a letter ? 

(e) A new paragraph should be made whenever one begins to write 
about a new subject, The first word of each paragraph should 
begin just as far from the left margin as the first word of the 
paragraph above. 

4 In replying to a letter, what is the first thing to be stated ? 

(/) The person to whom one writes would like to know at the out- 
set if his letter has been received. In acknowledging the 
receipt of a business letter, give the date of it ; as, " Yours of 
the 16th inst.," &c; or, "Your letter bearing date Aug. 10th 
was duly received." 

5. What cautions should be observed in writing the body of 
a letter ? 

1. Write very plainly. 

2. Do not crowd words ; if there is not room for a word 

at the end of a line, divide it between two syllables, 
and place a hyphen at the end of the line to show 
that the word is not finished. (See diagram, 
page 140.) 

3. Do not use & for and in the body of a letter. 

4. Except in writing dates and sums of money, do not use 

figures in the body of a letter ; — " I am ten years 
old" not " I am 10 years old" ; "We read seven 
pages" not " We read 7 pages." 

5. After the salutation is written, do not begin at once to 

talk about yourself ; thus, " I take my pen," $c, or 
" I received your letter" (See d, above.) 



172 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

6. The words friend, doctor, senator, <fc, when used in 
the body of a letter, and not as titles, need not begin 
with capitals ; as, " Your friend has not forgotten 
you" ; " We shall call a doctor if he is no better^; 
" The senator is an older man." 

S^P" Thorough Eeview, with Practice. 

See Teacher's Edition. 



D. — THE SUBSCRIPTION. 

LESSON I. 

1. What does the word subscribe mean ? 

2. What part of a letter is called the subscription ? 

I. What is written under the body of the letter is called the 
subscription. 

3. Turn to the letter on page 141, and read the subscrip- 

tion of it. 

n. The subscription of a letter is made up of the closing words 
of respect or affection, and the signature of the writer ; 
thus, — 

1. 




Jhu& <~f. ^<eA<ui&<£ 



LETTER WRITING. 173 

2. 





^e / iAe ^ne ; izd> <&&&£, 




d^t^n-c^^ £<t4&n-^ 






4 






5. 






tZdJZ&CWtj 



* In writing to a stranger, a lady who uses the initials of her Christian nam© 
should use her title with her signature. 




174 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

6. 

7. 



-04446; 



C ^iz44se/0vi ohidd. 



8. 




ds iz^nj dt4frc<£4<e4yU; y4iM4, 



Sa 



7 



Cautions. — 1. The closing words should not be more 
familiar than the salutation. They should always be 
respectful, and should be written with great care, 

2. The signature should be written very plainly, — so 

plainly that any letter of it taken by itself could be 
read easily and with certainty. 

3. Unless the address to which an answer may be sent is 

given in the heading of the letter, it should be placed 
after the name of the writer ; thus : — 

* See Note, page 173. 



LETTER WRITING. 175 

Hotel Cluny, Boston, 
June 6, 1889. 
Prof. Maria Mitchell, 

Poughkeepsie, K Y. 

Dear Madam, — 

Your letter in regard to, &c 



With great respect, very truly yours, 
Mrs. E. C. Wells, 

North Conway, K H. 

Exercise 1. 

Dictate a suitable form of salutation and subscription for a 
letter to be sent to, — 

1. A friend or relative. 

2. A business firm. 

3. A strange lady, 

4. A strange gentleman. 

5. Your teacher. 

Exercise 2. 
Copy the forms of subscription given in Lesson I, and use 
each capital, comma, and period correctly. 

Exercise 3. 

See Teacher's Edition. 



176 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

LESSON II. 
THE CAPITALS AND PUNCTUATION OF THE SUBSCPJPTION. 

Preceded by an observation lesson. — See Teacher's Edition. 

1. What have you learned about the use of capitals in the 

subscription of a letter ? 

I. The first word of the subscription should begin with a 

capital letter. 
n. The first word of any part of the subscription that is placed 

on a separate line should begin with a capital letter. 
HI. The words Sir, Madam, &c, are used as titles in the 
subscription of a letter, and should be written with 
capitals. 

CAUTION. — When the words son, friend, mother, ^c, refer 
to the writer, they are not titles, and need not be written 
with capitals in the subscription of a letter. 

2. What have you learned about the use of the comma and 

period in the subscription of a letter ? 

IT. The closing words of respect should be separated from the 

signature by a comma. 
V. A period should be placed after the signature. 
YI. Sir, Madam, or any word or words used to name the 
party addressed, should be separated from the subscription 
by a comma or commas. 
YII. Such expressions as " I am," " I remain," " Believe me," 
" As erer," and the like, should be cut off by a comma or 
commas. 



letter writing. 177 

Exercise 1. 

1. Head the forms of subscription given in Lesson I., and 

tell why each capital, comma, and period is used. 

2. Write correctly, and give a reason for each correction 

made, — 

(a) I am dear sir 

truly yours 

Geo T Sargent 

(b) sincerely your Friend 

Edith Sumner, 

(c) Believe me as ever 

very cordially Yours 

Albert Edison. 

Exercise 2. 

See Teacher's Edition. 

1. Write a letter. 

2. Look at your letter, and describe, — 

(a) the upper margin, (e) the heading, 

(6) the left margin, (/) the address, 

(c) the paragraph margin, (g) the body, 

(d) the paragraphs, (h) the subscription. 

3. Mention all omissions and all errors, — 

(a) in spelling, 

(b) in the use of capitals, 

(c) in the use of marks of punctuation, 

(d) in the items and position of each part of the letter, 

(e) in the division of words or paragraphs. 

4 Eewrite the letter, correcting all mistakes. 



178 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

5. Tell how you would fold a letter to enclose it in an 
envelope. 

fi^* A thorough Eeview, with repeated application and practice. 



E. — THE SUPERSCRIPTION. 

LESSON I. 

THE ITEMS, CAPITALS, AND PUNCTUATION OF THE 
SUPERSCRIPTION. 

Preceded by a review of Lesson I., page 154, and Lesson II., page 157. 

1. What does the word superscribe mean ? 

2. What part of a letter is called the superscription ? 

3. Of what items is the superscription of a letter made up ? 

4. What other part of the letter contains the same items ? 

5. Where is the address of a letter placed ? Of what use 

is it? 

6. Where is the superscription written ? 

7. Of what use is the superscription ? How should it be 

written ? 

(a) Every item of the superscription should be written 

in a plain, bold hand, 

(b) The items should be so separated and arranged on 

the envelope that the P. M. can read them 
quickly and with certainty. 
(<?) Too many abbreviations should not be used. The 
abbreviations of the names of the States should 
be written with great care. 



LETTER WRITING. 179 

8. Tell how the superscription of a letter should be punc- 

tuated. 

9. What beside the superscription should be placed on the 

envelope of a letter that is to go by mail ? 
10. Where, on the envelope, should the stamp be placed ? 
Why?* 

Exercise 1. 

Eead the following superscriptions, and tell, — 

(a) of what items each is made up ; 

(b) why each period and comma is used ; 

(c) why there is no period after Miss (at 2) ; 

(d) why there is a comma between the name and title 

(at 3), and none between the title and name 
(atl); 

(e) where the postage stamp should be placed : — 



1. 







G/d-ad'ttfsn, 
43 C/'te.wi-osn'L &r<C€ic4>._ 


•Zdd. 



* When you write a letter about matters of more importance to you than to 
the person to whom you write, if you wish an answer, enclose a stamp. 



180 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

2. 





cJktkd, 


(Q-m/smz 


t^Qu^tc^M 






nd y 










^QtM-C'tsn'niZ't'Z., 


m^ 


S/&. 






v^/A-t-a. 



3. 



SoAw, 


JrQ-ci't4n&<n. / 


<Q<*fy 














OV'l&'C 


ftA-OA^ 










Cyttyv-'nt-a-e. ^-a., 










a.f. 



4. 



cfo*. M- 






Cfg. trfQi^Ae^, 






6fywn<e; 


(^/^t^-u^a. ^Q-a. 


afi*u @Ut£. 



letter writing. 181 

Exercise 2. 

1. Draw the picture of an envelope, and show in the picture 

where the stamp should be placed. 

2. "Write neatly, in its proper place on the envelope, the 

superscription of a letter. 

3. Punctuate the superscription correctly. 

4. Mention the necessary items of a superscription. 

5. Tell how the superscription of a letter should be punc- 

tuated. 

Exercise 3. — {Blackboard.) 

See Teacher's Edition. 



LESSON II. 

THE POSITION OF THE SUPERSCRIPTION. 

1. How many lines does the superscription of a letter usually 

require ? 

2. What should be placed in the first line of the super- 

scription ? 

The name and titles should be in the first line ; thus, 
Mrs. E. B. Atwood, M. D. 

3. Just where, on the envelope, should the first line be 

placed ? 

The first line of the superscription should be about in the 
center of the envelope, — never above the center. 



182 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

The space before the beginning of the line, and the space 
after the end of the line, should be equal. 

4 Where should the other items be placed ? 

The other items should be placed, one in each line, under the 
items of the first line. Each line should begin a little 
farther to the right than the item in the line above it ; * 
thus : — 




Or, two of the items may be thus written, and the county, 
street, or P. 0. Box No. may be placed in the lower 
left-hand corner ; thus : — 



Cjht4. 


€ 




m, 


$fifo& 206. 


04. 





* The slant at the right of the lines may be very irregular. This cannot be 
avoided, and the eye is not troubled by it, if the lines begin uniformly. 



LETTER WRITING. 183 

Exercise 1. 

1. Draw on your slate a figure to represent the back of an 

envelope. 

2. Show by lines where the stamp belongs. 

3. Rule four lines to show where you would place the four 

items of a superscription. 

4. Use the marks of punctuation after the lines that you 

would use after the items. 

5. Describe the position of the line that is drawn where the 

first item should be placed. 

6. Tell where each of the other lines begins. 

7. Draw a straight line to touch the left end of each of the 

four horizontal lines. 

8. What kind of a line is this ? 

9. Write the superscription of a letter that is to be mailed 

to,— 

{a) A lawyer in Philadelphia, whose name is L. C. Hazen, 
and whose office is at 634 Girard Ave. 

(b) A young lady named Florence Hughes, who lives in 

New Orleans, at No. 8 Walnut St. 

(c) To a physician in San Antonio, Texas, whose P. 0. 

Box is 380, and whose name is E. B. Downing. 

(d) To W. C. Blanchard, a member of Congress from Ohio, 

who is at his home in Stark County. His P. 0. is 
at Canton. 

(e) To some person whose address you know. 

W^ A thorough Keview, with varied and persistent practice and 
criticism. 



184 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



APPENDIX TO PART I. 



A. —ABBREVIATIONS. 

Brief means short ; to abbreviate is to shorten. We abbrevi- 
ate words, — 

(a) By leaving out a letter or letters ; thus, ne'er for 

never, h'dkfs for handkerchiefs. 

(b) By cutting off a letter or letters ; thus, Jun. for June 

or Junior. 

(c) By using an initial letter instead of a word ; thus, 

P. 0. for Post-Office. 

The shorter form of a word is called an abbreviation. 

1. Look at the following, and tell what mark is used with 
each to show that it is an abbreviation : — 

e'en D. St. 1. c. tho' 

Caution. — A period used after an abbreviation is not a 
mark of punctuation. A comma, or any mark of punc- 
tuation (except the period) which would have been used 
after the word written in full, may be placed after the 
period of the abbreviation ; thus, — 

Clarksville, Mrs. B. A. Ellis, 

Eed Kiver Co., 1142 Girard Ave., 

Tex. Phila., Penn. 



APPENDIX TO PART I. 



185 



In the following, learn to spell and write the full form of 
each word ; then, learn to write the abbreviation used 
for that word : — 



NAMES OF THE DAYS. 


NAMES 


OF THE MONTHS 


Sun., 


Sunday. 


Jan., 


January. 


Mon., 


Monday. 


Feb. 


February. 


Tues., 


Tuesday. 


Mar. 


, March. 


Wed., 


Wednesday. 


Apr. 


April. 


Thurs., 


Thursday. 





May. 


Fri., 


Friday. 


Jun., 


June. 


Sat., 


Saturday. 


Jul., 


July. 






Aug 


, August. 


POINTS OF THE COMPASS. 


Sept 


., September. 


E-, 


East. 


Oct., 


October. 


w„ 


West. 


Nov 


, November. 


N., 


North. 


Dec. 


December. 


s., 


South. 






NAMES 


OF THE STAT 


ES AND TERRITORIES. 


Ala., Alabama. 


Kan., 


Kansas. 


A. Ter., Arizona 


Territory. 


Ky., 


Kentucky. 


Ark., Arkansas. 


La., 


Louisiana. 


Cal., California. 


Mass., 


Massachusetts. 


Col., Colorado. 


Me., 


Maine. 


Conn., Connecticut. 


Md., 


Maryland. 


D. C, District of Columbia. 


Mich., 


Michigan. 


Del., Delaware. 


Minn., 


Minnesota. 


D. Ter., Dakota 


Territory. 


Miss., 


Mississippi. 


Fla., Florida. 




Mo., 


Missouri. 


G-a., Georgia 




M. Ter., 


Montana Territory 


111., Illinois. 




N. C, 


North Carolina. 


Ind., Indiana 




Neb., 


Nebraska. 


Ind. Ter., Indian 


Territory. 


Nev., 


Nevada. 


I. Ter., Idaho Territory. 


N H., 


New Hampshire. 


la., Iowa. 




N.J., 


New Jersey. 



186 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



N M., 


New Mexico. 


Tex., 


Texas. 


N. Y., 


New York. 


U. Ter., 


Utah Territory. 


o„ 


Ohio. 


Va., 


Virginia, 


Or., 


Oregon. 


Vt, 


Vermont. 


Fenn., 


Pennsylvania. 


'Wis., 


Wisconsin. 


R. L, 


Ehode Island. 


Wg. Ter 


, Wyoming Territory. 


S. C, 


South. Carolina. 


W. T , 


Washington Territory. 


Tenn., 


Tennessee. 


W. Va, 


West Virginia. 



ABBREVIATIONS IN COMMON USE. 



A. B., Bachelor of Arts. 
Acct, or %., Account. 

A. D., Anno Domini, in the year 
of our Lord . 

Agt., Agent. 

Am., or Amer, American. 
A., or Ans., Answer. 
Ave., Avenue. 

B. A, British America. 
bbl., barrel or barrels. 

B. C, Before Christ. 
Bro., Brother. 
Capt, Captain. 

Ch., or Chap., Chapter. 
Co., County or Company. 

C. O. D., Collect on Delivery. 
Col., ColoneL 

ColL, College. 

Com., Committee, Commodore. 

Dem., Democrat, Democratic. 

Do., Ditto, the same. 

Doz, Dozen. 

Dr., Doctor, Debtor. 

Ed., Editor, Edition. 

E. g., Example given. 

Esq., Esquire. 

Etc., et cetera, and so forth. 



Ex., Example, Exception. 
Fahr , Fahrenheit. 
Ft, Fort, foot, feet. 
Gen., General, Genesis. 
Gent., Gentleman. 
H'dk'fs, Handkerchiefs. 
Hon., Honorable. 
I. e., or Id est, that is. 
Ins., Insurance. 

Inst., Instant, the present month. 
J. P., Justice of the Peace. 
Jr., or Jun., Junior. 
Leg., Legislature. 
Lt., or Lieut., Lieutenant. 
L. I., Long Island. 
M., Noonday, or One Thousand. 
M. C, Member of Congress. 
M. D., Doctor of Medicine. 
Mem., Memorandum, or Memo- 
randa, remember. 
Messrs., Gentlemen. 
Mr., Mister. 
Mrs., Mistress. 
mo., month. 
Mt, Mountain. 
Ms., Manuscript. 
Mss., Manuscripts. 



APPENDIX TO PART I. 



187 



N. B., Nota bene, note well. 

N. E., New England. 

No., Number. 

oz., ounces. 

Photo., Photograph. 

P. M., Postmaster. 

P. M., Post Meridian, in the after- 
noon. 

P. O, Post-Office. 

pp., pages. 

Prox., Proximo, the coming month. 

Prof., Professor. 

Prin., Principal 

P. S., Postscript, written after. 

Q„ Question. 

Qy., Query. 

R. R., Railroad. 

R , or Riv., River. 

Rec'd, Received. 

Rec'pt, Receipt. 

Rep., Representative, Republic, 
Republican. 



Rev., Reverend. 

S. A., South America. 

Sen,, Senior, Senator, Senate. 

S S., Sunday School. 

Supt, Superintendent. 

Treas., Treasurer. 

Ult., Ultimo, the past month. 

Univ, University. 

U. S. A„ United States of America, 

United States Army. 
U. S N , United States Navy. 
Viz., Namely. 
Vol., Volume. 
Vs., Versus, against. 
V. P., Vice-President. 
wk., week. 
X., Christ. 
Xmas, Christmas. 
Xn., Christian. 
Yrs., Yours. 
Y. M. C. 

tian Association 



Young Men's Chris- 



B. — A KEY TO THE DICTIONARY. 

Marks used to denote the sounds of letters are called 
di-a-crit-i-cal marks. 

The diacritical marks of the vowels are, — 

the macron, * the circumflex accent, 

w the breve, 



the dl-ser-e-sis, 



the waving accent, 
. the dot. 



I. The macron ( " ) is used to mark the regular long sound 
of the vowel ; thus, — 



188 ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 

a as in ale, o as in owe, 

e as in eve, u as in use, 

I as in Ice, y as in my. 

II. The breve ( w ) is used to mark the regular short sound 

of the vowel ; thus, — 

a as in at, o as in fox, 

e as in met, ii as in tip, 

i as in pit, y as in myth. 

III. The di-.&r-e-sis ( •• ) is used, — 

1. To mark the Italian sound of the vowel ; thus, — 

a as in ah, arm, guard, hurrah; 
i as in machine, police, suite. 

2. To mark the broad sound of the vowel ; thus, — 

a as in awe, talk, swarm ; 

as in do, move, route; 
u as in rude, true, sure. 

IV. The circumflex accent ( * ) and the waving accent 

( ~ ) are used to mark the occasional sounds of the 
vowels ; thus, — 

a as in care, hare, parent; 

e as in there, ne'er, where ; 

6 as in for, horse, storm; 

u as in spur, hurt, burn ; 

e as in term, mercy, fern; 

1 as in firm, thirsty, mirth; 
y as in myrrh, myrtle. 



APPENDIX TO PART I. 189 

V. The dot ( • ) is used to mark the remaining sounds of 
the single vowels ; thus, — 

a as in ask, last, command ; 
a as in what, was, halibut; 
6 as in done, won, covet; 
o as in wolf, woman, should; 
u as in push, pull, put, sugar. 

Notes. — 1. The macron ("") is sometimes used to show 
that e has the sound of a ; thus, e as in eight, neigh, 
sleigh. 

2. The macron ( " ) is also used to show that oo has the 

sound of g ; thus, room, moon, root, hoof. 

3. The breve ( v ) is sometimes used to show that oo has 

the sound of o ; thus, wood, foot, good, book. 

Exercise. 
Pronounce the following words correctly, and give the sound 
of the vowel marked in each : — 



gate, 




beaver, 


advertise, 


squa-lor, 




leisure, 


heigh-ho, 


to-ma-to, 




pe-o-ny, 


bron-chl-tis, 


gauge, 




e-qua-ble, 


as-pl-rant. 


whole, 


sue, 


eye, 


bade, 


re-vdlt, 


duty, 


ally, 


tas-sel, 


de-pot, 


tune, 


pa-py-rus, 


en-gine, 


pi-an-6, 


suit, 


de-cry, 


guess. 


offer, 


build, 


hearth, 


laurel, 


coffee, 


sieve, 


pretty, 


prove, 


just, 


pl-an-o, abyss, 


ruin, 


rut, 


sirup, 


aunt, 


scarce. 



190 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



C — WORDS TO SPELL AND USE CORRECTLY. 



Air, 


the atmosphere. 


Birth, coming into life. 


Ere. 


before. 


Berth, a sleeping-place. 


E'er, 
Heir, 
Ayr, 


ever. 

one who inherits. 

a town in Scotland. 


Blew, did blow. 
Blue, a color. 


All, 
Awl, 


every one, the whole, 
a tool. 


Bough, a branch of a tree. 
Bow, to bend, a part of a boat. 


An, 
Ann, 


one. 

a girl's name. 


Bred, brought up. 
Bread, an article of food. 


Ant, 
Aunt, 


an insect. 
a relative. 


By. near, beside. 
Buy, to purchase. 


Ate, 


did eat. 


Cereal, corn or grain. 


Eight, 


twice four. 


Serial, in a series. 


Aught 


anything. 


Ceiling, a part of a room. 


Ought, 


what one should do. 


Sealing, as with wax. 


Bad, 


wicked, worthless. 


Chord, a musical string or note. 


Bade, 


did bid. 


Cord, a rope or string. 


Ball, 


a sphere. 


Cite, to summon, to quote. 


Bawl, 


to cry out or shout. 


Site, situation. 


Base, 


the lowest part, mean. 


Sight, something seen. 


Bass, 


a deep sound in music. 


Cole, cabbage. 


Beech 


a kind of tree. 


Coal, a mineral. 


Beach 


a shore. 


Coarse, not fine. 


Beet, 


a vegetable. 


Corse, a dead body. 


Beat, 


to strike repeatedly. 


Course, track, progress. 


Bow, 


a knot, a weapon. 


Creek, a running stream. 


Beau, 


an admirer, a fop. 


Creak, a grating or straining noise 


Berry, 


a small fruit. 


Cue, a hint to speak or act. 


Bury, 


to hide, to inter. 


Queue, the hair plaited behind. 



APPENDIX TO PART I. 



191 



Dew, condensed moisture. 
Due, what is owing. 

Draft, an order for money. 
Draught, a drink. 

Dying, expiring. 
Dyeing, coloring. 

Pane, a temple, 
Fain, desirous. 
Feign, to pretend. 

Gage, a kind of fruit. 
Gauge, the measure. 

Gate, an entrance. 

Gait, manner of walking. 

Gilt, an imitation of gold. 
Guilt, wickedness. 

Grate, for holding fire. 
Great, very large. 

Grater, a utensil. 
Greater, more great. 

Hale, strong, healthy. 
Hail, frozen rain. 

Hare, an animal. 

Hair, covering of the head. 

Hall, a part of a building. 
Haul, to drag. 

Hart, a kind of deer. 
Heart, a part of an animal. 

Heal, to cure. 

Heel, a part of the foot 

Here, in this place. 
Hear, to hearken. 



Herd, a number of cattle. 

Heard, did hear. 

Hew, to cut. 

Hue, a color. 

Idle, lazy, out of work. 

Idol, a heathen god. 

Isle, an island. 

Aisle, a part of a church. 

I'll, I will. 

Led, did lead. 

Lead, a metal. 

Main, chief, principal. 

Mane, a part of a horse. 

Meet, come together. 

Meat, flesh. 

Mete, to measure. 

Pare, to cut off. 

Pair, a couple. 

Pear, a fruit. 

Pause, to stop. 

Paws, feet of a beast. 

Peace, quiet, rest. 

Piece, a portion. 

Peel, rind or skin. 

Peal, a ring of bells. 

Pole, a long staff. 

Poll, the head ; to take votes at 
an election. 

Pray, to offer prayer. 

Prey, to plunder, to feed upon. 



192 



ELEMENTARY LESSONS IN ENGLISH. 



Quire, twenty-four sheets of paper. 
Choir, a body of singers. 

Rain, water from the clouds. 

Reign, to rule. 

Rein, a part of a bridle. 

Rap, to strike quickly. 
Wrap, to roll up, or enfold. 

Rite, a religious ceremony. 

Right, correct, just. 

Write, to record by letters. 

Wright, a proper name, also a 
workman ; as, a wheel- 
wright. 

Sail, a part of a ship. 
Sale, selling. 



Seas, more than one sea. 
Sees, beholds. 
Seize, to take by force. 

So, in this way. 
Sow, to scatter seed. 
Sew, to use a needle. 

Stake, a pointed stick. 
Steak, a slice of meat. 

Strait, narrow. 
Straight, not crooked. 

There, in that place. 
Their, belonging to them. 

Vain, false, useless. 
Vane, a weathercock. 
Vein, a part of the body. 



PART II. of the Elementary Lessons in English, 

" How to tell the Parts of Speech" is An Introduction to " The 
Essentials of English Grammar" The pupil no longer studies 
words with reference merely to their meaning, pronunciation, 
spelling, written form, and use to express ideas, but as elements of 
sentences, — as parts of speech, — and considers each with refer- 
ence to its use in the sentence. The technical terms of grammar 
are employed, and the more obvious rules of syntax are taught. 

The Plan is inductive. The lessons are arranged in the order 
of their logical dependence ; they proceed from the known to the 
unknown, from the simple to the more difficult, from the particu- 
lar to the general. But one difficulty is presented at a time. The 
way to the new difficulty is cleared, either by observation of the 
facts of the language, or by a review of something previously 
taught. When the new ideas are clearly apprehended, and can be 
clearly stated, a concise, but accurate and comprehensive, definition 
is formed, and the new term is given. The lesson so mastered is 
followed by a variety of oral and written exercises, to secure 
thoroughness, and to broaden the application of what has been 
taught. Knowledge already acquired is kept fresh and available 
by means of frequent review and test exercises. 

The Subject-matter is chosen with reference, first, to the actual, 
every-day needs of men and women who are to use the English 
tongue ; second, to the needs of those who will take a broader 
range, and supplement this practical knowledge by the study of 
the science and literature of the language. These two interests are 
blended in every lesson, and are kept in view throughout the 
course. All non-essentials of English grammar — matters of dis- 
puted usage, formidable tables of inflections and conjugations, and 
all rules which "darken counsel by words Without knowledge" — 
are ignored. The sentence is made the starting-point of study 
and investigation. The pupils review statements, inquiries, com- 
mands, and exclamations ; say that each expresses a thought, and is 
therefore a sentence ; tell for what each sentence is used, and re- 
ceive and define the terms declarative, interrogative, imperative, and 
exclamative. They review what they know of the " two jiarts of a 
statement" and receive, use, and define the terms subject and predi- 
cate. They review names of persons, places, things, parts of things, 



and materials of which things are made ; add names of things 
which we hear, feel, think of, — names of actions, qualities, and 
multitudes, — and use and define the term Noun. They have an 
observation lesson on words used in the extent of their application 
(as books) and words which limit application (as blue, these, sir), 
to prepare for the study of the adjective. And so, each lesson 
linked to something learned before, each lesson the foundation of 
something to come after, each lesson containing something of 
interest and something of use, — pupils may complete the usual 
course of grammatical work without once suspecting that " Gram- 
mar is a hard, uninteresting, and useless study." The vocabulary 
lessons and exercises for practice in oral and written composition 
are novel and valuable. Other rules for spelling, for the use of 
capitals, marks of punctuation, and marks used by proof-readers, are 
added as occasion requires. A resume of these, a table of syno- 
nymies, a table giving the sounds and diacritical marks of the con- 
sonants, and an additional list of abbreviations, make up the 
Appendix to Part II. 

The Method of the book rests not upon theory, or experiment 
merely, but upon successful practice. Since the object of language 
study should be to promote mental growth and discipline, and to 
form correct habits of thought and study, as well as to build up 
a knowledge of the forms and usages of the language, the method 
of language-study should be the natural or scientific one long ago 
successfully employed in the study of other subjects. The pupil 
should deal with words and sentences as with birds or flowers ; 
learn their forms, uses, resemblances, and differences, and, when he 
has a sufficient acquaintance with them, classify them and deduce 
their laws. But to do this he must be guided deftly and cer- 
tainly by the hand of the teacher. 

The Teacher's Edition supplies material for Oral Instruction, 
blackboard work, and Dictation Exercises. It contains a dis- 
cussion of the Pestalozzian Principles and their application to the 
teaching of language, of the laws of questioning, and of the skilful 
use of illustration. There is no book published in this country 
which is so clear, direct, and complete a manual for the use of teachers. 

The Teacher's Edition is furnished, without charge, to teachers 
of classes using the Elementary Lessons in English. 



ENGLISH GRAMMAR. 



Elementary Lessons in the English Language, for Home and 
School use, by \V. D. Whitney of Yale College, and Mrs. N. L. Knox, Gradu- 
ate of the Oswego Normal School, late teacher of Jlfethods in the Brockport 
Normal School, and a very successful primary teacher. 

This book is in two parts. Part I. contains no technical Grammar. It is 
designed to give children such a knowledge of the English Language as will 
enable them to speak, wi'ite, and use it with accuracy and force. It is made 
up of exercises to increase and improve the vocabulary, lessons in enunciation, 
pronunciation, spelling, sentence-making, punctuation, the use of capitals, 
abbreviations, drill in writing number and gender forms, and the possessive 
form, letter-writing, and such other matters pertaining to the art of the lan- 
guage as may be taught simply, clearly, and profitably. Many and varied oral 
and written exercises supplement every lesson. Part II. is an introduction to 
"The Essentials of English Grammar." 

The Teacher's Edition, prepared by Mrs. N. L. Knox, contains, be- 
side the text, plans for developing the lessons in the book, matter for oral 
lessons and methods of giving them, impromptu test-exercises, dictation les- 
sons, plans for conducting reviews, and other valuable aids to the easy, attract- 
ive, and successful teaching of Language. 

The Essentials cf English Grammar, for the use of Schools, by 
Prof. W. D. Whitney of Yale College. 

This is an English Grammar of the English Language, prepared by the 
best philologist in this country, and has already been re-published in England. 
It is clear, practical, and complete. It proceeds from facts to principles, and 
from these to classifications and definitions. Mechanical forms, unnecessary 
classifications, and abstract definitions are avoided. 

The exercises, selected from the best English writers, leave none of the 
usual and regular forms of English structure untouched. 

The plan of analysis is simple. The ordinary method of Gender in Nouns 
is displaced by one truer and far simpler. The sharp distinction of verb-phrases 
or compound forms from the real verb-forms is original and scholarly. 

The facts of English Grammar are presented in such a way as to lay the 
best foundation for the further and higher study of Language in all its depart- 
ments. This book is accompanied by 

A Manual for the use of Teachers, prepared by Mrs. N. L. Knox. 
The Manual is designed to supply methods of developing and emphasizing 
the lessons of the text, to furnish material for every-day application and prac- 
tice, questions and tests for review, and tabular views and outlines (for the 
blackboard) to guide the pupils in study, recitation, and review. 

Gilmore's Outlines of the Art of Expression : A Treatise on Eng- 
lish Composition and Rhetoric, designed especially for Academies, High Schools, 
and the Freshman Class in Colleges. 

This book is admirably fitted to help students in English who are pre- 
paring for admission to college ; or to give them, after they have entered 
college, such preliminary training as will enable them to profit by higher and 
more systematic instruction in Rhetoric and Linguistic Science. 

A good book for reviewing English Grammar in the High School, and 
for studying Grammar from a historical standpoint. 

A Full Descriptive Catalogue mailed on application. 

GIOT & HEATH, Publishers, Boston, New York, and Chicago. 



GUIDES FOR SCIENCE-TEACHING. 

Designed to snpplement Lectures given to Teachers of the 
Publie Schools of Boston. 

By the Boston Society of Xatcral History. 

They are intended for the use of Teachers who desire to practically 
instruct classes in Natural History. Besides simple illustrations and 
instructions as to the modes of presentation and study, there are, in each 
pamphlet, hints which will be found useful in preserving, preparing, 
collecting, and purchasing specimens. 

No. I. About Pebbles. By Alpheus Hyatt, Custodian of the Bos- 
ton Society of Natural History, and Professor of Zoology and Paleontology 
in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This pamphlet is an 
illustration of the way in which a common object may be used profitably 
in teaching. This was the opening lecture of the course, and the one 
which gave rise to these little books. 

No. II. Concerning a Few Common Plants. By George 
L. Goodale, Professor of Botany in Harvard University. This is complete 
in two parts (which are bound together), and gives an account of the 
organs or " helpful parts " of plants, and how these can be cultivated and 
used in the schoolroom for the mental training of children. 

No. III. Commercial and other Sponges. By Prof. Al- 
pheus Hyatt. This gives an account of the sponges in common use, and 
of their structure, &c. Illustrated by 7 plates. 

No. IV. A First Lesson in Natural History. By Mrs. 
Elizabeth Agassiz. Illustrated by 40 woodcuts and 4 plates. With 
admirable clearness and brevity, it gives in narrative form for young 
children a general history of Hydroids, Corals, and Echinoderms. 

No. V. Corals and Echinoderms. By Prof. Alpheus Hyatt. 
Illustrated by 12 plates. Intended to supply such information as teachers 
cannot get from other sources. 

No. YI. Mollusca. Oyster, Clam, and Snail. 

No. VIL Worms and Crustacea. Earthworm, Lobster, Com- 
mon Crab. 

No. VIII- Insects. Grasshopper. 

No. IX. Fishes. Yellow Perch. 

No. X. Frogs. Common Erog and Toad. 

No. XI. Reptiles. Alligators and Tortoises. 

No. XII. Birds. 

No. XIII. Mammals. Common Bat. 



